Will You Still Love Me?
by punkdlaurenx
Summary: Sequel to Take Care Of Me. AJ and Punk's happily married and family life surely comes to an end. Having said goodbye to all their friends who have moved on with their lives in different countries and states, can AJ and Punk battle these demons alone or will it break them once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is the sequel. As I go off from Christmas break tomorrow, the chapters may be a little delayed, but I'm sure y'all can be patient. Hope you enjoy and REVIEW just like the first story, love reading them all. Thanks so much! – Lauren.**

She lay awake and still, no noise was heard in their house, it was still and quiet but the sound of danger was deafening her. She lay in between the sheets of their bed, the nylon material catching on her wedding ring of one year every time she moved her hand. The red walls of their room closing in on her, reminding her of the danger he was in.

They were the only ones left in Chicago. Dean and Renee packed their things up as soon as they had their baby daughter and moved to Paris, stating that it was a better environment and that Chicago held too many deep pasts that Dean wanted to vanish for the sake of being a father now. They said they would visit of course but it wasn't the same. She missed having them around, she knew Punk missed having Dean around.

Seth and Paige packed up and left not long after them to New York. Paige had got an incredible offer to have her own shop in the city, selling her paintings that people seemed to respect more in New York than in Chicago. Seth encouraged her to take it and decided to follow his heart and go with her, both of them renting out an apartment in the city. Of course they still called every now and then, but again… it wasn't the same as seeing their faces every day like they used to.

She supposed at the time it would give her and Punk more time to focus on them, to be involved with each other more but she desperately wished for Dean and Seth more than anything, for them to help Punk.

She wasn't sure how it all happened, she can't remember frankly, all she could remember was Punk sitting her down and telling her he had to do it, for the sake of them and their children who were approaching the age of two. She didn't have an opinion, ever since that moment she never got to say how she felt because deep down, she knew that he knew how she felt.

He wasn't the same Phil he was a year ago when she married him and he made all these promises to her, he had changed, he had lost himself somewhere in the threats and the harassment, he didn't have his friends to encourage him on what to do. She felt like she was doing this parenting thing on her own, he barely had enough spirit to give the kids a smile anymore and that saddened her.

She was worried about him, she was worried that this was what life would be like from now on, the constant waiting, the silence between them when they watched TV at night. She didn't expect married life to be like this, if she knew this was what it would be like, she wouldn't have done it.

She understood that he _had_ to do this, he'd been forced, threatened, told that if he never done what he was asked to do, those scars on his face would reform back into burns, he was threatened that his kids wouldn't live to see their second birthday, or he wouldn't get to share his 2nd wedding anniversary with his wife. She knew he didn't want to do this, but there wasn't really a choice in the matter. Do or die and that was the issue.

She heard the light footsteps stumble upstairs, late on 4am, early for a Friday night she supposed.

Their room door opened and she closed her eyes. If he knew she wasn't sleeping at night that would just be another thing for him to worry about. The only thing he really was focused on, was making sure his wife and his two infant children were safe, he'd do whatever he had to do to keep them safe.

AJ heard slight wincing coming from the shower room in their room where he had went into, the light sneaking out the bottom, top and edges of the door. She'd use that as her excuse.

She stood up out of bed, taking her zipper that was on the bottom of the bed, zipping it up on herself and heading to the shower room, opening the door over, seeing him standing in his jeans with his top stripped off, revealing some gashes.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" He asked as he noticed her standing at the door, dabbing his wounds as she looked on with such fear.

"No." AJ shook her head, "Are you ok?" She asked, not wanting to ask what happened, he'd say the same thing he did all the time, 'Just some business.'

"Yeah. Go back to bed." Punk whispered with a tired smile, sitting down on the edge of the bath as she walked towards him, taking the cloth he was using and cleaning his chest, watching his head sink down to the ground as she did so.

She could tell he missed his friends so much, maybe if his friends were here with them, he wouldn't be sucked back into this horrible way of life. A lot of people would probably question her on why she was still with him if he was going out and doing these horrible things for a living, but she loved him and knew what kind and sweet man he really was, they were married and they stuck together.

"Thanks." Punk said as he watched her get the first aid kit out from under the sink, taking some antiseptic wipes out and using them on him now. Advantages of being married to a nurse.

"Does it hurt?" AJ asked him, wondering if he needed any tablets, not wanting him to feel any pain, he already was feeling enough on the inside.

"It did. The pain is easing off now." Punk said.

"Ok." AJ nodded, thoroughly cleaning the wounds, throwing the wipes in the trash and rinsing out the cloth in the sink, looking at the blood rinse away down the plug hole as she wrung out the soft material.

"Are you coming to bed?" Punk asked her as he stood up.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." AJ said, feeling him kiss her shoulder on his way out.

She didn't know how long she could do this for. What was stopping them from getting up and leaving to a hot country were the view was great? The fact they would be traced because whenever Punk went anywhere now he was being watched, the fact they didn't have enough money, the wedding and buying this house practically broke Punk to his last few pennies, not to mention having two children to fend for. They were trapped in this little bubble and she felt intoxicated in her own fear. Her children didn't deserve to be brought up around this, around their parents intensity. It wasn't fair on them and it wasn't fair on AJ and Punk who dreamed of giving their children the best life possible, getting off to a horrible start.

Punk had kicked off his jeans and got into bed, the only place where he felt he could really be him again, the only place he could tell his wife how much he loved her, the only place he wasn't being watched.

He was reliving his nightmare all over again and this time he was all alone. No Seth, no Dean. Just him and a bunch of rotten men who were trying to guide him into their way of life. Threatening him with his wife and two small children, knowing he couldn't refuse them when his family were put on the line.

He wasn't providing the life his family needed and that was what annoyed him and ashamed him. His wife of one year who was the toughest person he knew had even began to break down. Whenever they held so called 'meetings' in the house, the way all their perverted eyes looked upon her, he'd bit his tongue so hard one time it started to bleed.

He wasn't sure how he found himself in this mess again. As soon as Dean and Seth had left Chicago, he knew he was being watched, he knew he was getting unknown calls from familiar voices. The minute his family was on the line, he agreed to anything and that was what got him here, the sheer love for his family, the focus to keep them safe and protected, yet he was probably going out every night and tearing someone else's family apart.

He couldn't believe she was still here and by his side. The minute he told her that it was the way it had to be and that he couldn't risk anything with these type of men, especially being alone without his two sidekicks, she understood and that was all Punk needed from her. If she left him, if the kids were pulled away from him, he might as well just jump off a building. He'd have nothing to live for.

He watched her as she walked out of the shower room, shutting the door and turning the light off, making her way back round the bed and getting into the covers, sinking into the duvet as she faced him.

"Another night over." Punk said, kissing her head softly as she nodded.

"Are you back out tomorrow night? It was just… I was going to take the twins out, get them out the house for a bit, I was wondering if you wanted to come." She said, wanting to get out of this gas like house for a night, maybe she'd take the kids to the zoo, or to the movies, maybe a park or carnival, anything that could possibly take her mind off everything.

"I'm out tomorrow." Punk said, realising how much he was missing of everything.

"Right." AJ nodded, "I'll just go myself then." AJ said, acting like that was ok with her when it really wasn't.

None of them had contacted Dean or Seth or the girls to tell them about Punk being back in trouble, Punk said it was best not to worry them, knowing that if Dean or Seth knew Punk was in danger, they would be back in Chicago in a flash and that wasn't what Punk wanted. Just because his life was fucking up didn't mean he had to take Dean and Seth down with him who were both living perfectly good lives.

"How long will you be tomorrow night?" AJ asked him, looking at him deeply, not believing the change in his expressions for a year ago, he had massive eye bags, ongoing injuries and probably a good bit of depression.

"I'm not sure. Could be a long night." Punk said, "I'll leave money for you to take the kids out." He said, thinking of things to do that would make things a little easier for AJ.

"Ok." AJ nodded.

"I love you." Punk said, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb, watching her just shut her eyes and take a relaxed sigh.

"I love you too." She opened her eyes back up and reached over, kissing him on the lips, feeling him kiss back just as deeply, his hand running down her side, past her hip and to her thing, grabbing her round on top of him, their lips still attached as she leaned down to get better access to his lips. She felt his hands on her waist, grinding her hips against his hardened length through his boxers as they both moaned into the kiss.

Punk stripped her t-shirt from her, revealing her perky breasts that he just couldn't resist to touch. While massaging them in both hands, hearing AJ's cat like moans, he noticed she was already stripping down her bottoms to where nothing was hiding her.

"You look beautiful…" Punk said, pulling her down again for a kiss, her breasts pressing down against his chest as she continued to feel his hard length poke up through his boxers. Saving him the trouble, she pulled his boxers down, throwing them over in the corner and finally looking upon him, stroking him up and down a few times before she lowered herself onto his pulsing length, filling her completely, her hands firmly on his chest as she began to bounce up and down on him lightly, enough to still create loud moans from them both.

The love they had in the bedroom had never left, the love they had completely had never left, it just wasn't the same.

"April… baby you feel so good." Punk moaned, his hands on either side of his wives hips, helping her move up and down on him, loving this position as he got to see all of her, not to mention getting the view of her breasts bouncing up and down every time she did.

"Phil. Oh… Phil." AJ moaned, rolling her head back every now and then to where her hair touched his thighs and the mattress, her eyes rolling back with her as she continued to make herself and her husband happy, this being the only time they didn't have to be scared.

"April…" Punk flipped AJ onto her back, really having a strong urge now that had to be fulfilled by his own animalist actions, thrusting into her as she arched her back on the bed, his throbbing length going as deep as he could go, setting every button on inside her.

"Touch me… Phil… Oh god." AJ moaned, taking his hand and lowering it down to her core, feeling him catch on and begin to stroke her clit while he continued to pound into her. The stimulation of her clit while he dragged along her g-spot inside was enough to shake her walls and close in around him.

"I'm gona… Phil…" AJ moaned as she grabbed at his back, scraping her nails down him as he felt her juices coat him, giving him enough friction to come himself, pulling out of her and stroking himself up and down until his seed spilled over her stomach, low toned growls coming from him as he coated her stomach in his warm fluids, collapsing on top of her, his breathing heavy in her ear as she kept his arms around him, holding on to him tightly.

Things were hard, maybe even more than hard, but they had each other and that's what got them through it. This would all come to an end, AJ believed it would. They were good people, they deserved a happy life and she was sure she was going to get it, just not at this moment.

"I love you." Punk said, kissing her neck as she shut her eyes and cupped the back of his head.

"I love you too." AJ moaned.

There were going to get through this. They said it on their wedding day, for better or worse. They just had to stick together and have faith that everything would be ok.

**Well, looks like things have drastically changed. Let's see were this story takes us. Hope you enjoy this story as much as the first one.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

The twins had AJ up at the crack of dawn the next morning, whining from their rooms for their mother or fathers attention. Punk volunteered to get them with sleepy eyes, but AJ insisted he go back to sleep, he didn't get in until 4am the night before and didn't get to sleep until even later, she wanted him to get as much rest as he could.

She'd got the twins up and in the bath, having some fun play time with them as they splashed one another, getting them washed the best she could throughout all their splashing and giggling.

She couldn't believe how big they had got, it felt like only yesterday that they were tiny little babies in her arms.

Once bathing and getting them dried and dressed she headed downstairs with them, finding it a bit more difficult to carry them both at the same time, now they were bigger and tangling their hands in her hair, but she seemed to manage just fine, she was used to it.

She sat in between them both at the kitchen table. They'd not long been taken out of their high chairs and were now sitting at the table on their booster seats, not being able to reach the table yet but being too old and big to sit in the high chairs.

She watched as Sam crunched on the cereal that she was helping her eat on her left, her soft brown hair in tiny pigtails that she had managed to get in this morning while Charlie didn't seem to be interested in his breakfast.

"Charlie, c'mon… eat your breakfast." AJ said, balancing herself between them both to try get their breakfast down them, probably the hardest meal to feed them when she was so tired and they were being so stubborn.

She planned on taking them out later on in the day, she still didn't know where yet, just anywhere that allowed her to get fresh air as well as the kids. She just wished Punk could come.

"Do you both want to go out today?" AJ smiled as she gathered their child like plastic bowls that their cereal was in, Sam's having princess's on it while Charlie had Spiderman, putting them in the sink and washing them while the twins sat content at the table.

"Yeah." She heard them both mumble in their little small voices. She found it so amazing to have watched them grow from being tiny little babies, not knowing how to speak, to gathering up words like mommy and daddy, to now being able to answer simple questions. It was bizarre but yet so cool for her to see. They still weren't very fluent with speaking properly, they sometimes still made words up, but they could say yes, no, please, thank you, all the basics and it was so much easier to cooperate with them, especially now that she done things alone with them.

It was as if Punk was scared to go near them, that he would infect them with the poison he was feeling and she wished for the old Punk back, the Punk that would spend hours reading a story to them before they went to sleep, or who pushed them both on the swings in their garden, or who gave them piggy back rides upstairs, she missed that Punk and hope he would return soon. Don't get her wrong, she knew Punk could never stop loving Sam or Charlie, he still gave them hugs and kisses, played with them when he wasn't "working." But it just wasn't the same.

"How about…" AJ crouched down to them both at the table as they kneeled up on their booster seats, leaning close in and smiling to their mother, as if she was about to tell them both a secret, "How about I phone gran and we go to that soft play area you both love?" She smiled, watching their little faces light up with excitement.

She'd gotten rather close to Punks mom ever since this whole situation with Punk began, she'd lost Renee and Paige who of course she always told everything to, she'd lost Dean and Seth who were like her brothers, Punks mom was the only person she could talk to, the only person that wasn't Punk.

She got her coat on as well as helping the kids with theirs, teaching them every day how to tie their own laces on their converse, watching them always give up after the first try, having to end up doing them herself.

She left Punk a note on the kitchen counter for him to see when he woke, just telling him that she was out with the kids and that she would be home later on.

_Later that day…_

AJ had invited Punks mom to come with her to the soft play area that the twins loved, it wasn't too busy and was perfect to sit and chat while having a close eye on the kids as they went down the chutes and played in the ball pit.

"How is he?" Carol asked as she sat across from AJ, holding the cup of coffee in her hands as she watched AJ stir hers around, looking at the hot drink swirl around.

"He's ok. He came in late last night, left him sleeping this morning." She said, taking the spoon from the coffee and taking a sip of it, placing it down on the table and smiling over at Sam and Charlie running around, falling over sometimes but getting straight back up, a life lesson she always taught them. If there was one thing that put a smile on her face at the moment, it was seeing her children happy.

"I'm not sure anymore April." Carol shrugged, really having no idea how Punk was meant to get himself out of this situation, "Maybe if Dean and Seth were here, they could have a better plan." Carol shrugged, really lost at what her son could do to get himself out of this mess, without his family being threatened.

"I already told Punk that we need to phone Dean and Seth, but he's too stubborn. He just keeps telling me that we'll get through it, just me and him… but I don't think we will." She sighed.

"He needs to remember that he has those two adorable children that need the best place possible to grow up in." Carol said as they both looked at the twins, pushing each other over, but in a playful way, throwing the plastic balls at one another and chasing each other around the area, "Those are the most precious gifts life has offered you both and he needs to put them first." Carol said, both of them looking at Charlie and Sam running around, smiling and giggling.

AJ could already see so much of Punk in Charlie, it scared her a little, she also seen a lot of him in Sam, they were definitely his kids for sure, looks and personality wise.

"But that's what he's doing… he's doing all of this for us, so we can keep living in Chicago, keep our normal lifestyle…"

"But there isn't anything normal about him working from 9pm until god knows when in the morning, doing god knows what, coming home with injuries, sleeping during the day when his kids want to see him and getting up later to do it all over again. April… this needs to stop, I don't know how, I don't care how. I want Phil to be happy, I want you to be happy… staying like this is only going to dig deeper and deeper holes until you can't get out." Carol frowned, watching AJ sigh and run her hands over her face. She could tell AJ hadn't sleep properly in a long time.

"I'm just so tired." AJ said, holding back her tears, not daring to cry in a public place, especially so close to her children.

"I know you are, sweetheart." Carol frowned, "This needs to be sorted, sooner the better." She rubbed AJ's hand sweetly, watching AJ just sigh and hug her arms as she leaned back on the chair, looking over at her infant children.

_Later that night…_

AJ had just arrived home, pulling into their driveway with the twins fast asleep in their car seats in the back, having a good few hours of constant playing tiring them out, ready for their bed immediately when they got in. She noticed a few cars outside their house and suspected Punks work partners, if you would even call them that, were round for one of their usual "meetings," aka in their house drinking, smoking and planning things she didn't even want to imagine. None of them even took into consideration about the twins, half of them never even remembered that Punk had kids.

She got out of the car, taking their small tired little bodies from their car seats, heading on into the house and sitting her keys and purse that was over her shoulder down, waiting in the hallway for Punk to come out before she headed on upstairs.

Finally he came out of the living room, closing the door behind him, looking tired, fed up and ready to pull his hair out.

"Hey…" He tried to smile.

"Why are they here?" AJ asked sternly, having had countless fights with Punk about him bringing the tragic men he worked with to their house, she knew he never had a choice but she still had a right to be angry.

"You know they always just come, I don't have a say in anything." Punk folded his arms, "Did they have fun?" Punk asked, stroking Charlie's cheek, smiling at him sleeping on AJ's shoulder, Sam on the other side.

"Get rid of them." AJ gritted her teeth, "I want them gone."

"You know I can't." Punk snapped back, she knew he couldn't just get rid of them.

"If they aren't gone by the time I'm back downstairs, Phil… I swear…" She lowered her voice as she felt it rising, feeling Sam stir around in her arms a little.

Punk just looked at her as she scowled at him, having lost count on how many 'meetings' he had held in his house and how many fights had broken out between AJ and himself after they were over.

AJ had laid Sam in her bed first while she dealt with getting Charlie in his pyjamas in his room, putting him into bed and tucking the covers up and over him, kissing his head and switching the lamp off, heading into Sam's room and getting her into her pyjamas, watching her start to awake at the noise downstairs, placing her into bed as she covered her ears and frowned.

"It's noisy…" She mumbled, holding her ears at the noise downstairs.

"I know it is baby." AJ nodded, stroking her daughter's cheek softly, trying to soothe her back to sleep, eventually getting her back to sleep and standing up.

She turned the light off on her way out and walked downstairs, bursting through the living room door, watching everyone turn round and look at her. There was about five or six men all either Punks age or older. She looked at Punk standing in the corner, still and quiet, like he wasn't even taking part in whatever this gathering was about, he probably wasn't.

"Get out." AJ said, looking at all the alcohol sitting on the floor, the empty cigarette boxes and the scrunched up bits of paper, this was not ok. She knew this wasn't ok with Punk either, he'd just been forced to lose his voice these days, the loudest man she knew with the loudest opinions, who always spoke out didn't have that choice anymore. He could only nod and go along with it, unless he wanted to be burying his wife and children six feet under.

"Brooks, tell her to get out of here." A man said from in the corner, swigging over his bottle of beer, looking to Punk.

Punk stood still, looking at AJ, seeing the rage filled up in her, the hatred for everyone sitting in this room, maybe even him. She didn't understand that he physically couldn't tell these men to get out, they were discussing work, work that he was a part of, he didn't have any choice to let them in, if he didn't he would be the one that suffered, he was forever not having his own say in things anymore and it was changing him as a man, as a husband and father. Did she honestly think he wanted them all here, the house smelling of booze, the kids upstairs and barely being able to sleep from the noise, this was never ever what he wanted.

"Guys…" Punk said, "I think it's time you head off." Punk said as he looked at them all.

Some were ok, easy to make conversation with, others were just despicable and horrible, small little men with nothing to live for.

"We'll say when it's time to go." The same man in the corner said, "Now are you going to get her out of here before I do?" He looked at Punk, raising his eyebrows.

"Get out." AJ said again, this time walking by them all, picking up all the rubbish from the floor, grabbing beer bottles out their hands, ignoring their curses upon her, "Get out!" AJ yelled time and time again, not seeing any movement by them.

"Brooks get a hold of her." A guy said as Punk just stood still in the corner. Why was she doing this?

"Get out of my house or I'll call the police." AJ said, looking at all of them and pointing to the door, watching them all go stiff as soon as she mentioned the world police.

A few of them began to leave one by one, leaving who she only assumed was the boss of them all, coming towards her as Punk stood close to her, pushing AJ behind him as he looked his boss in the eye.

"You're lucky she's fit. See you later." He said, walking away and out of the door, slamming it shut deliberately knowing there were infant children trying to sleep.

"What the fuck was all of that?" Punk said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He looked at her as she emptied the trash, the sound of beer bottle clinking together covering his angry voice.

"Sam couldn't sleep with all the noise." AJ said, "It's late and they shouldn't be here. You know this." AJ said, looking at him with a lump in her throat.

"Do you want to get me killed? You know we're on thin line here. I do one thing wrong, I step out of line, all of this goes away like that…" He snapped his fingers in front of her.

"I can't keep doing this." AJ said, her hands in her hair as she looked at him with a frustrated sigh.

"Well you're going to have to… I know…" He took her hands in his, "I know this is hard, ok. I know… but, I will get out of this, I promise." He nodded to her.

"When?" AJ laughed, "In a year? Five? Tell me when, Phil!" AJ yelled, snatching her hands back to herself.

"I don't know." Punk said, "I need you, I need you here for me, otherwise I'm not going to cope. I need you and I need the kids, we'll get through this, there is nothing more important to me than you, Sam and Charlie. You know that." Punk said.

"Then stop isolating us into this disgusting world you're being forced to live in. Stand up for yourself!" AJ said.

"I can't do that. You know I can't. I'm only doing this because I can't lose you or the kids." Punk said, telling the truth, he wouldn't be doing any of this, holding meetings, going out at night to cause trouble, tearing his family apart, if AJ and the kids weren't on the line.

"I know you are." AJ nodded, "But I'm telling you once and I'm telling you now… I can't keep this up." She shook her head, "I am exhausted, I have to go to work, deal with the kids, worry about you… I can't do this on my own." AJ said.

"I know you can't, I'm still here, I'm still here with you…" He took his hand and touched it against his chest, raising it to his lips and kissing it, "I love you and I promise we are going to get out of this mess… I am going to get us out of this mess." Punk said.

"How?" AJ asked, shrugging as she looked at him with tears in her eyes, wondering how her life had come to this.

"I'm going to phone Dean and Seth." Punk said, it was his only choice. He couldn't stand one more minute of doing this, this wasn't just affecting him, it was affecting his family. He needed help, not the type of help he needed from AJ, a physical help.

AJ just nodded and let out a relieved sigh. About time. She'd never wanted to see Dean and Seth so badly in her life.

"It's going to be alright. I promise, we're going to get out of this." Punk said, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her head down on his chest, holding him tightly as he rubbed her back in circular notions. He couldn't continue hurting his family like this, he couldn't continue hurting himself.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

_The next morning…_

AJ had surprisingly got a good night sleep, probably knowing the fact that there was a possibility of having her old life back again. She wasn't even woken up by the kids, as a matter of fact, when she did get up… Punk and the twins were both out of bed and downstairs already.

"Daddy is sorry he hasn't been spending a lot of time with you both." Punk said as he sat in the middle with both twins on either side, having got them up himself earlier, getting them ready and giving them their breakfast, enjoying some cuddle time with them both.

AJ watched from secretly behind the door, watching him talk quietly to them, seeing Sam cuddling into him as they watched TV. She needed this Punk, the twins needed this Punk. Punk needed this Punk, he needed to find himself again, to find the husband and father he always was, to help him fight this demons.

"Morning…" AJ smiled, walking into the living room where both twins turned round with smiles, glad to see their mother up, surprised that she hadn't got them up this morning.

"Hey." Punk smiled, looking at the twins faces light up, enjoying the look on their faces when they saw their mother.

"Mommy…" Charlie smiled, his hands reaching up as AJ lifted him up, taking his place beside Punk and sitting Charlie on her lap.

"How's my favourite boy?" AJ smiled as Charlie just giggled, collapsing on to AJ and laughing as Sam kept her eyes on the TV on the other side, tucked into Punk, her hair still messy since Punk didn't know what to do with it, he couldn't do it the way AJ done it all neat and tidy, so he just didn't bother experimenting, he thought she looked cuter with her hair all over her face anyway, it brought out the green in her eyes and smile on her face.

"How'd you sleep?" Punk asked AJ, Charlie now sitting on AJ's lap as he lay his back down against her chest, watching the children's programmes as his sister done.

"Better." AJ nodded with a smile, looking Punks way.

"Good." Punk said, leaning over and kissing her head, glad to know his wife had got some sleep, she was right last night, she had taken on so many responsibilities by herself that he should have been helping her with, the kids being one of them, he'd just been so scared and lost in his own world, he'd almost forgot how to be a father, but it clearly had never left him.

"When are you phoning Dean and Seth?" AJ asked, the sooner the better in her opinion.

"Tonight." Punk said, "I don't know how I'm meant to tell them, how I'm meant to ask them for help." He shrugged, hearing Sam and Charlie shout at the TV, a cartoon they were watching encouraging them to respond back, both AJ and Punk laughing at their adorableness.

"You'll be fine." AJ said, rubbing his arm, "They're you're friends, they'd do anything for you." AJ smiled.

Punk just nodded, his eyes going back and forth from Charlie and Sam, hearing them mumble whilst watching the TV, their little personalities and natures immediately making everything ok, his wife still beside him with full support even after everything he had to put her through. He couldn't have asked for a better family.

_Later that day…_

"They ok out there?" Punk asked, coming up behind AJ, circling his arms around her waist and leaning his chin on her shoulder, looking out the kitchen window at the twins playing around outside, their coats, hats and gloves on even though it wasn't snowing, it was still freezing in Chicago. The twins both enjoyed playing in the back garden, getting a type of freeness and fresh air from being stuck inside. Sometimes they tended to end up fighting which AJ would have to run out in her socks and break them up, but the majority of the time they got along, pushing each other down the outdoor chute, playing with different toys individually or together, AJ could already tell they were going to be a close brother and sister.

"Yeah, they're fine." AJ smiled, "They could play out there all day if they could." She laughed.

"I know. Their faces are priceless…" Punk smiled, "Look at Sam…" He smiled, both of them watching their daughter as she smiled whilst going down the chute, giggling as she jumped off, running over to her brother on the grass.

"She's gorgeous." Punk whispered in AJ's ear, "Takes her looks after her mother." He smiled as he felt AJ turn and peck him on the cheek, smiling out the window as their children got up to all types of fun outside, feeling some sort of calmness from watching them, nothing else mattering to them at that moment.

_Later that night…_

After a calm day of AJ catching up on house work, the kids playing outside with Punk joining them later on, the twins finally got their bath and since it was the weekend, both fell asleep in AJ and Punks room to their favourite cartoon. AJ would remove them from her bed when her and Punk went off to bed, it was a bad habit she had let the kids grow up in, letting them fall asleep in her bed every Sunday night while watching the TV, she knew how much they loved it and how much it settled them before bed.

Meanwhile Punk and AJ were downstairs while the kids were upstairs sleeping with the cartoon replaying over and over while they slept against one another in their parents bed. They were just about to contact Dean and Seth. Punk went with contacting Dean first, thinking that Dean would be more easier to win over.

"I'll just go out here." Punk said as he dialled the number on his phone, heading outside for a better signal and some breathing space to think what he was going to tell his missed friend, leaving AJ in the living room, her hands clasped as she prayed and prayed that Dean could get here as soon as possible.

She was so glad that Punk had seen sense and realised he couldn't keep this up, not with the twins and her being around, not when he was at the risk of danger or becoming dangerous himself. She didn't want to see him lose himself completely, he was almost half way there, she couldn't see him lose himself completely, that would be worse than losing him all together.

She waited and waited patiently, fidgeting around and waiting for Punk to come back in with good news, announcing when Dean would be here, maybe he'd even bring Renee and Faye with him which she hoped, she missed Renee so much.

Finally she watched as Punk came back into the living room, hanging up on the call as he looked down at her, going a funny green colour as he looked his wife in the eye.

"What?" AJ stood up, wondering why he wasn't saying anything.

"He isn't coming." Punk said, "He said… he isn't coming." Punk said, feeling like he'd just been stabbed between his shoulder blades, feeling friendless and lonely, depending on his wife to say something to make it ok, but watching her, speechless with nothing to say. Dean had just refused to help his friend out, his desperate best friend, practically crying for help and he refused to come back to Chicago and help. Punk wasn't sure what to think, neither did AJ.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean he said he isn't coming?" AJ asked with anger, ready to pick the phone up and call Dean herself.

"He said he didn't want to come back to Chicago, especially to relive everything. He also said he wasn't risking Renee or Faye getting hurt." Punk shrugged.

"Well phone Seth, surely he'll come." AJ said, running out of options by the minute, Seth being their only hope.

Punk just nodded, still in shock by Dean turning him down, contacting Seth and raising his phone to his ear, pacing around the living room as AJ stood still looking on.

"Seth…" Punk said as Seth picked up.

"Punk, how are you man? I was going to call soon." Seth spoke through the phone.

"I'm ok… listen Seth, I need your help…" Punk said, creeping away into the kitchen to speak, leaving AJ standing and waiting patiently, only hoping that Seth would be here to save day, but even at that… two was a whole lot smaller than three, how was Seth and Punk meant to take on a full foundation of hit men and dealers with so much experience. She was stupid enough to believe that the three of them could, but two of them… there wasn't even a point. She was stuck like this and there was no escape, she was living in this fantasy world that she expected Dean, Seth and Punk to fight all these men away and things would be fine again. It wasn't happening.

She watched as Punk came back into view, the same look on his face again as he just shrugged, "He isn't coming." He said.

AJ ran her hands through her hair, crying silently into her hands at the fear of having no other idea on how to get Punk out of this, their only option was for Punk to continue with this.

Punk sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her, hugging her tightly, not believing that both his best friends, his brothers, the people he relied on had just turned him down and left him to rot.

"What are we going to do?" AJ cried, her shoulders shaking as she looked up at him, tears streaming down her eyes.

"Shh… we'll think of something." Punk said, pressing her head against his chest as he lay back on the couch, feeling her tears dampen his t-shirt, her cries getting louder and louder by the minute.

He was so lost, how long was he meant to keep doing this, he couldn't get out of this unless he wanted to become wifeless with no children, he knew what these men were like, anything you done wrong you would pay, especially if you tried to leave. His brain was hurting with how much confusion he was in. He had no idea what he was meant to do. Did he just have to continue being the man AJ hated to see? Was that his only choice?

_Later that night…_

Punk had left AJ asleep on the couch, tucking a blanket over her and immediately leaving the house where his sleeping family lay, locking the door and heading off into the night, heading to the club that his boss owned on the main strip of the Chicago town.

He parked outside and walked into the club, the music pounding his ears, girls grabbing on to him as he walked through the club, shoeing them off him and heading into the back where everyone was usually gathered.

"Brooks." Punk's regional boss, Dan said as he turned around on his chair and looked up at Punk.

There were different boss's in charge of the different parts of Chicago, there was at least 20 workers that worked for Dan, Punk was unfortunately one of those 20.

"Dan." Punk nodded, "I need to talk to you." He said.

"About what?" Dan questioned, "Your wife calmed down yet?"

"You gotta let me go." Punk said, taking a seat across from Dan's desk, this was what it had came down to.

"What do you mean?" Dan questioned, stopping what he was doing and looking across at Punk.

"I'm the only guy on the team that has kids, that has a wife… I can't keep doing this. It isn't right. I'll… I'll find you someone else to take my place, please… just let me be with my family, let me have a normal job." Punk begged.

"Phil… you're one of my best workers, you know I can't let you go. So what you have a wife and kids?" Dan shrugged.

"I'm putting them in danger, I'm putting myself in danger. I done my best with this gang, I gave it five years of my life before I got married and had kids, please Dan." Punk begged.

"You're going to have to speak with the boss." Dan shrugged.

"You're my boss." Punk shook his head.

"No, I mean the boss… Joe, you'll have to speak to him." Dan said.

Punk just sat back in the chair and ran his hands through his hair, Joe as in Joe who bent his pregnant wife over a table and left him in a burning building, that Joe.

"Isn't it you that makes the decisions?" Punk moaned, looking at Dan with a sigh.

"No, I only tell you guys what to do. I can't fire or hire people. You'll have to speak to Joe." Dan said.

"God…" Punk moaned, putting his head in his hands, standing up quickly, "Where is he?" Punk asked.

"He's coming round soon to get some stuff off of me. You could wait." Dan suggested.

Punk just nodded, sitting back on the chair and patiently waiting, he knew Joe would never let him go. Not in a million years, the consequences he would be threatened with would no doubt be April getting killed or the twins, or both… he couldn't afford to think about that.

After waiting for half an hour, he watched as Joe walked into the office. He sat silently as Joe and Dan exchanged some files, some money, other things that he wasn't interested in, and then he watched Dan leave the room, leaving Joe and himself alone, which wasn't particularly a good idea.

"Phil." Joe smiled, walking round the desk and sitting down across from Punk, "Can I help you?"

Punk just took a deep breath, hoping there was a decent bone inside Joe's body.

"I need you to let me go. Let me get out of here." Punk said as Joe just laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous." Joe laughed, "We need you."

"I'll replace myself with someone else. I'll find someone for you, just please… I have a family, I have so much to lose, this isn't fair." Punk begged.

"Just get on with it Brooks, stop complaining." Joe rolled his eyes.

"You don't know what this is like!" Punk yelled, banging his fists on the desk as he stood up, Joe standing up immediately at the same time, looking Punk in the eye.

"I have the rest of my team waiting outside. I know your address, I know April and the twins are at home. One phone call, Phil. That's all it takes." Joe gritted his teeth.

"You can't keep making me do this, you can't keep threatening my family for your own benefit. This isn't fair on them." Punk said, staring Joe down.

"Life isn't fair. Now get over it and go home. Tell April I was asking for her." Joe smiled.

"You disgust me." Punk spat, turning on his heel and leaving the office, rage, confusion, panic, sadness, everything taking over him as he pushed by people, getting out of the club, gasping for fresh air and looking around, everything was spinning, he couldn't hear himself think, the sudden realisation sinking in that he couldn't get himself out of this, not even if he wanted to. He couldn't risk his beautiful wife and precious children being hurt or threatened, he just couldn't.

He got in the car and drove home, running upstairs and taking a suitcase out, filling it with AJ's things, clothes, toiletries, different things she might need, throwing things in carelessly and zipping the suitcase up, smiling at the twins sleeping on his and AJ's bed, their little chests moving up and down.

He then pulled out another suitcase and filled it with his things, throwing things in, not even noticing what it was he was putting in, quickly filling the suitcases and moving on to the twins things, gathering their stuff together and finally throwing the suitcases into the car trunk.

At this moment in time he was on his last option, he couldn't think of anything other than keeping his family safe and this was all he had left, this was all his brain could think of. He had responsibilities to take care of his family and he couldn't do it while being watched everywhere he went, being threatened all of the time. He just couldn't do it anymore, it wasn't fair on him and it wasn't fair on his family.

If this meant never being back in Chicago ever again, abandoning their home, their way of life, then so be it, the main thing was that he was with his family. Nothing else mattered.

He went back into the house and headed upstairs, getting the twins, lifting them up, their little warm bodies cuddling into him, in their pyjamas, ready for the long journey ahead.

He put them in their car seats, taking some soft toys, blankets, books, anything that could keep them content, not knowing how long they would be on the road for, strapping their sleeping little bodies in as they stayed fast asleep, heading back into the house, walking into the living room where AJ was still fast asleep with a blanket over her.

He picked her up bridal style, keeping the blanket over her as he walked outside, carefully sitting AJ in the passenger's side, keeping the blanket around her body, making sure he didn't wake her, shutting the car door over and walking back into the house, checking everywhere, making sure he hadn't forgot anything of any value, taking one good look at the house, hoping he'd see it again one day, when all this had turned into a bad dream and he could face his demons again, right now… he needed to flee and flee far away from danger, from holding his family in danger.

He stepped out of the house, locking the door and slipping the key in his pocket, quickly getting into the car, looking at AJ sleeping beside him, the twins fast asleep in the back, their trunk packed to the fullest. He knew this was the only choice he had, he couldn't put his family through this any longer, he couldn't keep this up himself. He'd never forgive Seth or Dean for this, for leaving him to fend for himself at such a horrible time when he needed them. The quicker they got out of Chicago, the quicker things would start to be put in the past.

He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, remembering the joyful day that he showed AJ the house and told her he had bought it, the look on her face being priceless, he wanted that look back on her face, the constant smile she always had that made his stomach do flips, he hadn't seen that smile in so long and it was because of everything going on.

He knew AJ's job would be no more, the kids would miss their normal surroundings, but he'd rather that than being threatened to never see them again. He should have done this in the very beginning.

He took a look at his family, the twins in the rear view mirror, both sleeping peacefully, Sam in her my little pony pyjamas, her teddy tucked into her arm, a pink blanket over her, Charlie on the other side with his batman pyjamas on and his blue blanket, his adorable little mumbles in his sleep the only noise in the car, both of them not realising they were leaving their home.

He took a look at AJ while trying to keep his eyes on the dark road. She might have been mad at him at first, but once she got over it, she would realise that all they needed was each other and that's just where he was taking her, somewhere where it was just them and their children, were they could focus on things without being watched, or threatened, or frightened. This was for the best, for everyone.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

AJ woke up to the sound of wheels on the road, darkness ahead, sitting up in the front seat of a car with a blanket over her body. She looked around and seen Punk driving, his eyes on the road ahead, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel as he drove through the quiet highway, the headlights on the road, driving to god knows where.

"Phil…" AJ whispered, turning around and spotting the twins sleeping in their car seats.

"AJ… you're awake." Punk turned to her, keeping his eye on the road still, looking at her every few minutes as she sat up and moved the blanket down her body, sitting up straight and looking around.

"Where are we going?" She asked, not even feeling Punk put her in the car when she fell asleep, she wondered how long they had been driving for and why they were even driving away from Chicago.

"Do you trust me?" Punk asked her.

AJ immediately nodded, not even having to think about the question.

"Close your eyes back over." Punk said, stroking her cheek while keeping his eye on the road.

AJ trusted him. She could see what was happening, all their stuff was packed in the trunk, the twins had all their valuable toys and comforters with them in the back seat, they were going somewhere, she wasn't sure where, she didn't think Punk was sure where either, but she trusted him, wherever he was, she was safe.

She fell back asleep rather quickly, the sound of the engine and driving away from their horrible life almost comforting her to sleep as Punk kept driving, not stopping, his foot on the pedal the full time, not turning back.

A few more hours and Punk decided for safety that he would pull up into a motel, not wanting to drive while he was tired, figuring he'd catch a few z's and head back onto the road in the morning, not stopping just yet, he wanted to drive as far as he possibly could until he was satisfied.

"You go on into the room…" Punk said as AJ woke up again, handing her the key, "I'll get the twins." He said as AJ nodded, both of them getting out of the car, AJ going to their room whilst Punk got the twins who were still miraculously sleeping, walking into the room after locking the door, shutting the room door behind him with his foot, walking straight through to the second room, putting the twins in the double bed, tucking the covers over them and planting sweet kisses on their foreheads.

"Mommy and daddy are here." He whispered, smiling as he walked out of the room and into the other room where AJ was sitting on the bed, fidgeting around with her hands, the look of fear in her eyes still.

"C'mon, we should sleep." Punk suggested, pulling the covers back, not bothering to take his clothes off, watching AJ get into bed with him, snuggling down into him and sighing.

"Phil… where do we go?" She said.

"I don't know April, but what I do know is, we're going to go somewhere where the sun always shines, where we can have a much better life, where you'll have that smile back on your face, where our kids will always be smiling and laughing, me and you can have our own time, we can be safe and free." Punk said, stroking her hair softly as he spoke.

AJ just smiled into him, "I think I know where we can go." AJ smiled.

"Where?" Punk asked her, running his hands up and down her arm softly as he looked down at her with a smile.

"Puerto Rico." AJ smiled.

"Puerto Rico?" Punk questioned her, looking strangely at her with a smile.

"Yeah, my mom's friend, you know… the one that raised me, she told me my parents were from there, they moved over here to have me, I always wanted to go to see what it was like, she told me so much good things about it." AJ said.

Punk just smiled, "You want to go to Puerto Rico? We'll go to Puerto Rico." He smiled, pressing a long kiss on her head, feeling her cuddle into his body tighter.

He could see in her eyes how much she wanted to go, it seemed like the perfect time, they weren't rich but they had enough money to get a one way flight and a house, build a foundation over in the sun. No one would find them there, this was their only hope.

"But…" AJ said.

Punk looked down at her.

"Anywhere you are is where I'm going." AJ smiled up to him, reaching up for his lips as he tangled his hands in her hair, their tongues battling against each other with passion.

Punk knew this was a risk to take, but as long as they left tomorrow and didn't wait around, as far as he was concerned, no one would find them. He should have done this in the beginning but he figured he would have got out of things easily, now this was his only choice, the choice of making his family happy, living a happy life.

_The next day…_

After paying for shockingly expensive plane tickets to Puerto Rico, their luggage was put through customs and the plane was already up in the air before they knew it. Punk figured he would contact his mother when he got settled into Puerto Rico and had a house, he knew she would be happy that they were safe now.

"I can't believe Seth and Dean." AJ said, leaning her head on Punks shoulder. The twins sharing a seat at the window, fascinated by this weird way of transport, either looking out the window or playing with their toys that AJ had took on with them to keep them calm and settled.

Punk sat in the middle with the twins on one side, his wife on the other, "I don't want to talk about it." Punk shook his head.

"What did they say exactly?" AJ asked him.

"Dean said it was my mess. He didn't want to put his family at risk and he didn't want to come back to Chicago, then he hung up. Seth told me that I would find a way without anyone else's help and said that him and Paige were happy in New York and didn't want to come back to Chicago. I then hung up on him." Punk sighed, "I just can't believe they would do something like that, I'd help them, no matter what state or country they're in." Punk said.

"I know you would." AJ rested her hand on his lap, "But look… we've left that life behind us, our life is only just beginning. We can finally be happy again." AJ smiled to him.

"There it is…" He whispered to himself, looking at that smile on her face again, the smile that made everything ok, that made his stomach do flips.

"I love you." He smiled, leaning down and kissing her softly, smiling against the kiss as he turned his head to the twins who were smiling so happily playing with their toys, even after being ripped from the roots of their home, they were still his strong son and daughter.

Everything was left behind, their home were they had shared many memories, AJ's work that she loved, their car which they had sold for money in the airport parking lot, everything, it was a new chapter, a new start, picking things up from before things got bad.

_The next day…_

After arriving in Puerto Rico late on, they checked into a hotel for the night, Punk vowing to go house hunting immediately the next morning which he did, leaving AJ sleeping with the twins, leaving a note for her and heading out with his wallet and a pen, hunting for a house that was ready for them to move into immediately.

He looked at a few, some on the beach, some a little further up, some big, some smaller, he just couldn't find anything he liked, he knew now wasn't the time to choose for likability but he wanted the house to be nice obviously.

One caught his eye immediately when he pulled up in the rental car he had got. It was almost the exact same size as their home in Chicago, only a tad smaller. It had a great view of the beach, a great front and back garden, good space and he had also noticed there was a pool in the back garden. Of course he wasn't going to find anything that compared to their house in Chicago that AJ loved, but this one might be a close call.

_Two Weeks Later…_

Two weeks was all it took to wipe Punks pockets completely clean, the house being all his and AJ's, ready to move in whenever they wanted, which of course they went right away. AJ already loved it. Her skin was made for the sun and she loved everything about Puerto Rico, the people, the heritage, it just reminded her of being an innocent little girl.

The twins weren't as settled as what AJ and Punk thought and refused to go to sleep every night still, crying and whaling, screaming to go home as both AJ and Punk told them that this was their new home. They were Chicago children, born and raised, well almost. They'd get over it shortly.

"See, it isn't so bad here." AJ said, sitting on the edge of Charlie's bed, playing with his hair as he lay down, looking up at her with tired eyes, ready for falling asleep any minute, "We're safe here, you're safe, Charlie." AJ said, stroking her son's cheek, looking around his still messy room, all of their luggage still to be unpacked.

"Sleepy mommy." Charlie said, rubbing his eyes as AJ stood up and bent down, tucking the covers over him, kissing his head and smiling, watching his little eyes close over, this being the first night they had both went down to sleep without a fight, she assumed Sam was asleep to from the zero noise coming next door where Punk was, probably singing her to sleep like he always done.

She left Charlie's room, planning to sort the house out tomorrow, meeting Punk in the hallway who had just got Sam to sleep.

"Sleeping?" Punk asked her.

"Out like a light." AJ smiled, "So far so good, right?" AJ said, realising how good this had went, yeah they were officially broke now but they could find jobs and fix that problem. She didn't feel like she was in that intoxicating bubble anymore, she didn't have to be scared of her husband getting hurt or her children being frightened, she was finally free from all her insecurities and frees and was back to being AJ, loving wife and mother of two and most of all, she could see Punk was back to his normal self, he was smiling and she could tell he felt safe.

"No one's going to find us. We're safe here baby." Punk smiled, wrapping his arms around AJ's waist, pulling her in and kissing her deeply, putting a certain hotness in the air already.

AJ pulled away and smiled up at him, "I see we have a pool outside." She smiled deviously up at him.

"Yeah… I mean, I figured the kids could…" Punk paused when he watched AJ lift her t-shirt off, walking by him and heading downstairs, chuckling to himself at her wicked nature.

He was a man, he never liked to admit feeling unsafe, but he felt unsafe in Chicago, his only choice was to get his family and himself away from it, to flee to somewhere better where no one could find them, they deserved to be happy and by god their kids deserved to be happy. Chicago wasn't bringing happiness.

He of course tip toed downstairs after AJ, walking through their living room that was still a dusty with sheets over the couches and TV that was already their when they moved in. He hoped for him and AJ to find a job soon so they could make their house look just as good as their one in Chicago looked and to also buy some more clothes, having not came over with a lot, just a suitcase full.

He walked out into the garden, smiling on at AJ already in the pool, walking all the way down to the edge of the pool, crouching down and smiling to her, "If you're wearing a bikini I'm not coming in with you." He smirked.

"Oh, I'm not, don't worry… in fact, I'm not wearing anything." She put her finger in her mouth and looked innocently up at him, watching him laugh.

"I know. I can see through that water." He winked, playing her along, knowing all along she wasn't wearing anything, he could see through the water.

"Are you coming in or do I have to grab you by the ankles?" She smiled, leaning over the edge of the pool, her arms folded as she rested her chin on them, the edge covering herself from him.

"It's not cold is it?" Punk asked with a serious face.

"Phil." AJ dropped the sexy act, looking at him like a five year old, "You have five seconds to get in or I will pull you in." She said.

"Alright alright…" Punk stood up straight, stripping his t-shirt off and the rest of his clothing, slipping in the pool with her and biting his tongue when the water hit him.

"Jesus Christ… its cold." He shivered, holding himself together, feeling AJ immediately pull him towards her, her back against the edge of the pool, her legs circling around him, her body pressed against his.

"We could make this really sexy and you're complaining about how cold it is." AJ rolled her eyes.

"This is just like a gigantic bath really, I mean… do you think it's clean?" Punk rambled on, not even noticing that AJ had disappeared under the water, "Is it meant to be this cold, I don't think..." Punk paused when he realised AJ was underwater, feeling an extremely different feeling of pleasure, wondering how on earth she was holding her breath for so long whilst busying herself with him.

She eventually came up from the water, gasping for her as she cleared her eyes from the water, smiling to him and shrugging, finding that to be the only way to shut him up.

"I swear that must be some sort of a talent." He said, "Come here…" He smirked, pulling her towards him, cupping his wet hands on her equally wet cheeks, backing her against the edge of the pool, her legs circled around him again.

Punk kissed her lips deeply, their wet lips making a kissing noise louder than what it usually was. Punk moved down her neck, trying not to swallow any of the pool water, kissing on her collarbones and up her neck, back around to her lips as her breasts pressed in against his chest and his length pulsed around her opening.

"Do it…" AJ moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Make love to me." She gasped, pressing her forehead against his and pressing her lips back against his, feeling his hands disappear under the water. The next thing she felt was such a pleasured relief, his length burying inside her, his hands tightly gripping her waist under the water as she rolled her head back.

"Why haven't we done this before…" Punk laughed, in a moaning type of way, he didn't know if being surrounded by water was making things feel much better or if it was the fact they were safe now and didn't need to worry anymore, maybe a bit of both.

Punk started to slip in and out of her, the water making it incredibly easy to do so, feeling AJ grip on to him, her hands sliding from him and reattaching themselves back on to him as he pumped in and out of her, getting faster and faster.

"Oh god, keep going baby…" AJ moaned, feeling so free and released already without even hitting her release, she was safe in his arms, in his touch, they were out of harms reach, they'd took their only option, so much at risk of them being tracked, but they had made it, they'd spent all their money on a house and soon enough they'd build it all back up once they had jobs, it was a new start, where evil was not wanted, not even for a second.

"April… god, you're so tight…" Punk said, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his wife clutched on to him, on the inside and outside.

AJ cupped the back of Punks head as the water swayed around them in rhythm to Punks thrusts, pushing her lips up against his as their tongues battled for dominance, Punk winning every time.

"Phil. I'm so close." She whispered in his ear, fighting the urge to yell and scream, grabbing on to Punk as she got closer and closer every time he pushed in and out of her.

"April, cum for me baby… let go…" He moaned, kissing her as she moaned into his mouth loudly.

"Phil!" AJ screamed, her fingernails digging into Punk tightly as she reached her climax, her back arching against the edge of the pool, feeling Punks warm seed fill her.

"April…" Punk moaned, leaning his forehead against her shoulder as he felt her body go rigid, shaking a little as her back came down from arching against the tiled edge.

AJ just tilted his head up from her shoulder, looking into his eyes as he held her close to him, nothing needing to be said, their looks said it all. This was the start of forever and they were going to enjoy it.

_Back in Chicago…_

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing?"

Dean stood facing Seth outside of what used to be Punk and AJ's house, both of them turning and looking at the house, smashed in windows, spray paint on the drive, the house being badly damaged. Were they too late?

**Looks like Dean and Seth had a change of heart. Too bad Punk doesn't need them anymore. I wonder what they will do? Hope everyone survived the pool scene. Thanks for the REVIEWS so far. More coming soon.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Punk called me a few weeks ago, asking me to come down for help, I told him no." Dean said, "Did he phone you?"

"Yeah, I told him no too." Seth looked down at the ground, both of them feeling incredibly guilty.

"I'll call him." Dean said, pulling his phone out and dialling Punks number, walking up and down the small space at the end of the driveway with Seth standing still, Punks phone ringing out to voice mail.

"What if…"

"Don't." Dean pointed to Seth.

"He contacted us three weeks ago, anything could have happened. We need to go ask Joe." Seth said.

"I promised Renee I wouldn't put myself in danger." Dean grumbled.

"Hey!" Seth shouted, grabbing Dean by the collar of his jacket, "Our best friend could be dead, AJ and the twins, your godson, my god daughter… they could be dead and all because we refused to help Punk. Get a grip of yourself man." Seth said, letting Dean free from his grip.

Dean just nodded, knowing Seth was right, both of them getting into the car and driving to the club they knew Joe owned not far from here where they suspected and hoped Punk would be.

They both got out of the car and walked through the club, heading for the back office, barging by people and bursting in through the office where Dan and Joe were sat discussing things.

"Well well well… would you look here…" Joe said, watching Dean and Seth come through the door, shutting it behind them and looking on at them both.

"Where is Punk?" Seth asked immediately.

"Punk." Joe laughed, his sick mind twisting inside itself. He didn't know where Punk was, he was screaming on the inside, he'd had his workers searching the full town for Punk but no one could find him, it was making him extremely angry. But he would find him, he would, first he would have some fun.

"We don't…" Dan started when Joe interrupted.

"Dead." Joe smiled to Dean and Seth, "All of them." Joe said.

"You're lying." Dean shaking his head, turning to Seth who was staring at Joe, burning holes through him with his eyes.

"I'm lying?" Joe laughed, "Come on Dean, when do I ever lie?" Joe smiled, making a good point to Dean and Seth, "Last week, I got a visit from Punk, he wanted out of this place, I told him no and we got into a little fight. He went home to a house full of my men. Punk knows better than to fight with me…"

"You're bullshitting." Seth said, not knowing if he could believe Joe, not wanting to.

Joe stood up, "I am certainly not. They poor kids, I made their death a little easy." Joe said, walking round Dean and Seth, watching them both not move, watching them believe every word he said as time went by, "I gave them an overdose, they didn't need to suffer any pain, poor sweethearts. April… she put up quite the fight, beautiful girl, shame to go to waste…" He smiled as he walked round Dean and Seth who had frozen, twisting their minds up with the deepest of lies.

"Shut up." Dean closed his eyes, so many images running through his mind, in shock, in fear, wanting to curl into a ball in a black room.

"A few of my men took her into a room while poor Punk was made to sit outside and listen." Joe tutted, "She was brought back out, tied to a chair…" Joe started making direct contact with Seth, "And she was shot in the head, right in front of Punk." He said.

Dean felt the full room spinning, his ears ringing, Seth felt the same, only worse if that was possibly, how could someone be so cold.

"Three down… one to go." Joe said, still continuing to circle them, Dan sitting in the corner silent and confused as to why Joe was doing this. "Punk wanted to die at this point, he'd watched his kids take an overdose on illegal substances, heard his wife raped and seen her shot in front of him. He wanted to die, so we pulled the trigger, lay him next to his wife and kids and left." Joe said.

Dan sat in fear in the corner, realising that there was a possible chance of all of this happening if Punk was to come out of hiding with his family.

"If only you'd got here sooner though, right?" Joe looked at them both, their skin white as ghosts, and their eyes bloodshot, stumbling around on the spot, getting into their minds on a whole new level.

Dean left the room, pushing people out of the way through the club, the music pounding in his ears as he got outside, throwing up on the corner of the building, his head spinning around, not being able to think about anything other than what his best friend had to go through.

Seth fell out through the door just after him, leaning against the wall for support, tears streaming down his eyes as Dean continued to throw up his guts at the corner, from pure shock, disgust, fear, sadness, everything, his stomach turning inside itself literally.

Seth stood with his forehead against the hard wall, crying loudly, not even caring he was outside in public, reliving Claire all over again, this time… much worse.

"Oh god…" Dean moaned as tears started to leave him after throwing up all the contents in his stomach, holding on to the wall as he cried and cried.

"No…" Seth repeated over and over again, his shoulders shaking as he slid down against the wall, curling into a ball and burying his head in between his knees, wanting the world to disappear, not being able to deal with this, his brain hurting, his heart hurting as Dean cried and yelled loudly beside him.

Why couldn't they have got their faster?

_Puerto Rico…_

Punk and AJ were still in the pool, enjoying the water and looking up at the stars in the sky, still holding on to one another, AJ's legs circled around Punk as his hands supported her back.

"Why didn't we move here before now?" AJ asked him, her arms around his neck as she looked into his eyes, his hair covering his forehead, looking like a wet dog, the water making it like that, not his usual slicked back look, her hair wasn't any better.

"Because we never had a reason to." Punk said, "Once we get jobs things will just fall into place." Punk smiled.

"Do you ever think we'll see Seth or Dean again after this?" AJ asked, her back pressed against the edge of the pool again as she held Punk close.

"I don't know." Punk shrugged, "And I honestly don't care, I could be dying and they wouldn't come to help me. Fuck them." Punk said.

"Phil, don't say that." AJ sighed.

"It's true." Punk said, "Who cares about them anyway, as long as I have you and our kids, I'm the happiest man alive." He smiled, pressing his lips against hers as they began to come intimate again.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**

**Well isn't Joe just the biggest bad guy ever. **


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm gona kill him…" Dean yelled in his gruff voice, staggering towards the club door as Seth stood up, his legs weak but strong enough to hold Dean back.

"No… you can't…" Seth said, keeping Dean back as he held Dean back as best he could, "He isn't worth it." Seth growled, his tears damp on his cheeks as Dean continued to cry in the struggle to get out of Seth's grip.

"They can't be dead… They can't." Dean cried, letting Seth win and pausing as he felt Seth hug him in, pulling his head down into him and embracing him.

"It's going to be ok." Seth said, blinking his tears away as Dean sobbed into him.

Both have them had never felt so empty, so dead inside. Knowing that their best friend and his family were dead wasn't even the effective part, it was how they died that was tearing them apart. If only they had got to Punk quicker, agreed to come to his aid when he was crying for help, they couldn't help but feel this was all their fault, Punk could still be alive, AJ, the twins, they could still be alive if they had got their sooner and that was going to stick with Dean and Seth for the rest of their lives.

_The next morning…_

"You need to have your breakfast first." Punk said, ignoring the pleads from his two children, both of them begging him to go into the very fun looking swimming pool out in the garden.

"Please." Charlie huffed in his little voice, sitting at the kitchen table with his sister, not interested in his breakfast.

"No, you won't be going in at all if you keep asking me." Punk said, looking at them both, giving them their first warning. He wasn't the type of father that needed to raise his voice at his kids, he'd just give them both a look and they knew they were beginning to cross the line.

"When are you going to phone your mom, Phil?" AJ asked Punk, walking into the kitchen after spending the morning unpacking upstairs, her and Punk agreeing to go to the shops later to get other essentials they needed for their home, as well as looking for jobs too.

"I'll phone her tonight." Punk said, "Last night I got a call from Dean, we must have been outside." Punk said, looking at his phone.

"Well we were out for quite a while." AJ smiled at him, emptying the rubbish from upstairs into the trash, "You should call him back." She suggested.

"Nah, probably just butt dialling me." Punk rolled his eyes, sitting his phone down on the kitchen counter and turning to the twins who were just about finished their breakfast.

"You do know they both can't swim right?" AJ chuckled as she walked over to her family, the twins staring disapprovingly up at her.

"Well I'll teach them." Punk smiled to her.

"You swim like a dog, Phil." AJ said, laughing as she walked away out of the kitchen and back upstairs to continue tidying up.

"I don't." Punk whispered to the twins as they giggled, Sam resting her head against the table as she laughed that adorable little laugh she had, Charlie doing the same, making Punk laugh aswell.

_Later on that day…_

"Kick your legs or you'll sink." Punk said, holding Charlie up in the water as he struggled to pick up how to swim, not being able to move his legs and arms at the same time. Sam sat at the edge of the pool, her legs in the water as she watched her brother and father.

Punk didn't expect them to get it first go, they were both only two years old, but there wasn't any harming in trying, he would get them water wings for the future so they didn't have to worry.

"How you getting on?" AJ asked, walking outside into the pool area with just a bikini on.

Punk bit his lip and let Charlie go for a minute, hearing him cough as he swallowed half the water.

"Sorry Charlie." Punk took grip on Charlie again and pulled him up into his arms, "Sam isn't interested, are you?" Punk looked over at Sam who shook her head in honestly. She liked to just sit with her feet in the water and watch.

"Well don't mind me." AJ smiled, sitting over in the sun, relaxing her shoulders back and closing her eyes, facing towards the sun as her skin glowed in the light.

Punk got an idea and winked to Charlie, sitting him up beside his sister at the edge of the pool, pushing himself up out of the pool and tip toeing over towards AJ, trying not to make any noise, his swimming shorts dripping on the hot ground as he walked over to her, her eyes still shut as she hummed to herself in relaxation.

Punk just chuckled and grabbed her round the stomach, feeling her jump and squeal suddenly, being picked up and thrown over his shoulder.

"Phil! Phil put me down…." AJ laughed, "Put me down." She said, feeling Punk throw her into the water, holding her breath as she sunk down under the water, coming straight back up and running her hands over her wet face, "I'm going to kill you." AJ said, looking at him, trying to be angry but she couldn't possibly be. This was what was meant to be happening since the day they got married, so much fun and laughter, their kids laughter echoing the back garden, Punks smile shining the brightest out of everyone's. It was so nice to have her husband back, it was so nice to finally be happy again. She was living in a world that she never wanted to go back to, this was her life now, out in the middle of nowhere, laughing and living with her family.

"You coming in?" AJ smiled over, holding her arms out to Sam as her baby girl jumped into her arms, a little frightened of the water, clinging on to her mother as she looked around at the water.

Punk had slid into the pool by this time and had Charlie in his arms who was constantly splashing the water over at Sam, not helping with her fears, being the obnoxious twin brother that he was, he loved her really.

"Do you guys like it here?" Punk asked the twins, watching Sam hug into her mother as Charlie swung from his hip.

"Yeah…" Charlie piped up, splashing his hand over the water.

"When we go home?" Sam asked, resting her head against her mother's chest, looking over at her father for answers.

Punk and AJ just exchanged weary looks at each other.

"This is your home now baby." Punk smiled, "We're going to stay here now." He smiled to Sam, watching his daughter just sigh and snuggle further down into her mother.

AJ just held Sam tightly, hoping this wasn't a permanent mood that Sam was always going to have, it was like she was homesick and just didn't want to be here, Charlie on the other hand was swinging from the lights, they might have been twins but they were completely different individuals.

Punk just nodded to AJ, as if telling her that it would be ok and that Sam would come round soon, the poor little girl just needed some time, she'd just been ripped from her home and everything she'd learned to grow up with. It was bound to take a little bit of time for her to settle down. At least Charlie seemed to be enjoying himself, continuously splashing the water on Punks face, reminding Punk so much of what he was like as a little boy, always stepping on peoples toes.

_With Dean and Seth…_

After Dean and Seth had bunked at a hotel, barely sleeping, just not being able to get the images of what Punks death would have looked like, how he would have felt when he seen his kids take overdoses, or heard his wife get raped or seen her get shot. They just couldn't think straight at all and it kept them awake all night, finally both waking up and discussing what they were going to do.

"Where do you think the bodies are?" Seth asked Dean who looked like he was on a different planet.

They both looked like shit, their eyes were all puffy and bloodshot, their souls were completely ripped from them.

"I don't know." Dean shrugged.

"Do you think Carol knows?" Seth asked, referring to Punks mother of course.

"I don't know, Seth." Dean looked at Seth, begging that he would just shut up.

He just couldn't comprehend with the thought of his best friend, his brother, a man who'd always taken care of him being dead, as well as AJ and the twins. He just couldn't face the facts they were gone forever and didn't know if he would ever be the same again.

"Look, this is hard, I get it, but Punk… Punk would want us to get back up on our feet and keep strong." Seth said. He would never forget the comfort that Punk gave him when Claire had died, or the help he always gave him when he was in trouble. It just didn't seem like real life.

"I can't believe he is gone." Dean sighed, putting his hands in his head, not knowing if he had anymore tears to cry, he'd cried them all last night.

"Neither can I." Seth shook his head, sitting down beside Dean and clasping his hands, "We have to be strong, keep our heads high. For Punk. For AJ and the twins." Seth said, watching Dean nod the best he could.

"We should go see Carol, tell her the news if she hasn't found out already." Dean suggested.

"Yeah." Seth nodded, both of them standing up, stumbling out of the hotel room that they'd barely even used, staggering side by side down the hall, getting ready to face the toughest few weeks of their life, without their big brother, facing the fact that he was gone forever and they would never get to speak with him again. Thinks couldn't have been harder for them.

**Uh Oh. They're away to tell Punks mom and Punk hasn't called her yet.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

"We spare her the detail, we just say they were shot. That will be difficult enough for her." Seth said to Dean in the passenger's side of the car, parked outside of Punk's mom's house.

"C'mon, let's get this over with." Dean suggested, stepping out the car as Seth did, walking down the path and to the front door of Carol's door, knocking on it and waiting for an answer.

"Dean… Seth, what are you two doing here?" Carol asked, letting the boys in and shutting the door over behind them.

"How are you?" Dean asked her. He knew the deal with Carol and Punk, yeah she didn't give birth to him or raise him from birth but he was her son, no doubt about that.

"I'm good, Dean." Carol smiled, leading them through into the living room where they both took a seat across from her.

Seth looked at all the framed pictures on the mantel, the majority of them including Punk, from when he was little to his wedding day. She was his mother and no mother wanted to hear what they were about to tell her.

"So… I'm not being rude, but… can I help you both with anything?" Carol asked, wondering why her son's best friends had appeared out of nowhere.

"It's Phil." Seth said, trying to find some steal inside him that could cope with telling Carol, "It's April… the twins… Carol, I'm so sorry but…"

"Could you believe it? He didn't even invite me." Carol laughed, "Lucky for some huh? Living it up in the sun." Carol smiled, just after a long phone call with her son about 10 minutes ago.

"What?" Dean looked at Carol like she was an idiot.

"He said the twins love it. Sam's a little unsure still but…"

"Carol, what are you talking about?" Seth said, his brain hurting even more.

"Phil. April, the twins. I'm just off the phone with Phil, he's in Puerto Rico." Carol said, wondering why they both looked so shocked and overwhelmed.

Dean swallowed the lump in his throat as Seth ran his hands through his two toned hair.

"How can… this doesn't make sense. He's alive?" Seth said.

"Unless I'm going crazy. They left a few weeks ago, got a house, he said they're much happier now." Carol said, looking at both of her son's friend's look extremely ill and confused, "Are you two ok?" Carol asked.

"He's alive." Dean whispered, his hands covering his mouth as he leaned back and forth on the couch. Punk was alive, AJ was alive, the twins were fine, this was all just a mind fuck, their best friend really wasn't gone after all, he was tanning himself up in Puerto Rico while they cried themselves to sleep.

"Do you guys want the address he gave me?" Carol asked them, both of them immediately nodding as she wrote it down for them, handing the scrap piece of paper over as Seth took it from her and put it in his pocket.

"I can't believe this." Seth said, in so much shock, realising his best friend wasn't gone, knowing his family weren't tortured the way Joe explained to them, knowing they were all safe was enough to bring a smile out on Seth's face.

"Thanks Carol." Dean smiled as Carol just nodded, not really understanding what this visit was all about, smiling nevertheless and showing the boys out of the house.

"He's alive…" Dean said as they walked to the car, "The son of a bitch is alive." He smiled over to Seth.

"I can't believe we believed Joe. What were we thinking?" Seth shook his head, both of them getting into the car.

"I want to see him." Dean said, he wanted to see Punk live and in living colour, this had gave him a taste of what it would be like to lose Punk and knowing he was fine, soaking the sun up in a different country with his family not being harmed, it was such a good feeling.

"Alright. We'll go to the airport." Seth smiled, pulling out into the road again, not being aware of the car following closely behind them as they spoke to each other about how stupid they were to believe Joe and how happy and relieved and shocked to find out that Punk was fine.

_A few hours later…_

"Renee… I'm fine. Yes, I know." Dean nodded on the phone to his girlfriend, standing with Seth as they got ready to board the flight, "I will. I'll be home soon. Ok. Love you." Dean hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and turning to Seth to exchanged words.

Meanwhile in the airport, at all four corners they were being watched by, men speaking into their cell phones as they watched the two friends.

"They're boarding to Puerto Rico."

"Do you think that's where he's at?"

"Not sure."

"Phone boss and tell him. There's a good chance Mr hideaway is exactly where they two are heading."

They all spoke to each other from the corners of the airport, watching Dean and Seth board the flight with smiles on their face.

_The next morning…_

Punk and AJ had gone out the night before like they said they would, getting some things for their home, the twins sleeping in their strollers the full time they paraded the shops. AJ had also got a job interview for a jewellery store not far from their house, she seen they were hiring staff and filled in an application. She didn't know anything about jewellery, but it was still a job that was willing to pay her money. It helped that a lot of people assumed she was Puerto Rican too. Punk had also stroke lucky and got a job at a garage not far from their house either. He wasn't knowledgeable about cars, but he could fix a few if something had gone wrong. He wasn't even interviewed, he was just given the job by his wicked charm and fulfilling promises. And because the guys in the garage seemed to like staring at AJ, which didn't bother him, he was the one that was married to her.

After a successful night, they went home and straight to sleep, tired from playing with the kids all day and then walking through the streets and shops later on.

It was another warm morning and Punk was first up out of his family like always, downstairs making toast like he always was, looking out the window at the sun, smiling at how good life was. He was back to feeling happy again, he'd been so down for so long he almost forgot how feeling happy felt like and how good it felt.

He started preparing to make AJ breakfast for when she got up, as well as getting the kids bowls out, switching the kettle on when the doorbell rang at least three times.

Punk just looked confused for a minute, wondering who would be ringing at their door at this time, slightly hesitant to go answer it, walking through the living room anyway and into the hall, unlocking the door and opening it up to seeing two extremely happy figures.

"Punk!" Dean shouted, jumping on his friend as Seth joined in, both of them suffocating him as Punk stood in confusion, people outside walking by their house and laughing at the two men clinging on to Punk.

"Dean…" April said in shock, half way downstairs, "Seth." She said with surprise, wondering why they were here.

"April April…" Dean repeated like a child, running to AJ and picking her up into a hug, Seth still hanging from Punk, really believing he was still alive now.

"What are you two playing at?" Punk asked, pushing Seth's arms off him.

"It's a long story." Dean said, letting AJ down and looking across at Punk, never being so happy to see him.

"Well I'd love to hear it." Punk folded his arms, still angry with them both that they never helped him, shutting the front door and walking into the living room where Dean and Seth followed, AJ close behind, having been woken up by the noise.

AJ walked away into the kitchen to let the boys have their own time to talk. She knew Punk was still pissed regardless of how many hugs Dean and Seth were willing to give him.

"You're both just a tad late." Punk folded his arms as he looked at them both, "I mean you could have… Dean…" Punk looked at Dean, wondering why he was looking at him so strangely, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Punk asked.

"Here's the thing…" Seth butted in, "We were told that you, AJ and the twins were dead." Seth said.

"By who?" Punk said, raising his eyebrows.

"Joe." Dean said.

"You went to Joe." Punk said furiously.

"Calm down." Seth waved his hands in the air, "We… we believed him, we thought you were dead, you, AJ and the twins. It was scary, trying to realise that you were dead." Seth said, looking at Punk just stare at them blankly.

"Then we went to your mom's, we figured we'd tell her the news." Dean said.

"You told my mom I was dead?" Punk asked.

"No… No, that's when we found out you weren't dead. She told us you were in Puerto Rico." Dean smiled, "Man, it's so good to see you." Dean smiled as he looked down at the ground.

"Alright, just because you thought I was dead doesn't change the fact that you both left me hanging by myself." Punk said, still not forgiving them, no matter if they thought he was dead or not. He would expect something so low to come from Joe.

"We are so sorry. You have no idea how sorry we are…" Seth spoke up, "You have to understand that we were just protecting our girls and our families, you know how that feels. Seems like you done just fine without us anyway." Seth said, looking around the place approvingly.

"Yeah. I did just fine without you both. I always have." Punk said, looking at them both coldly, "Next time either of you need my help for something urgently, I'll show up three weeks later." Punk nodded to them both.

"C'mon man, we said we're sorry. At least we still came." Dean said.

"Yeah when the damage was already done? I had to rip my kids from their home, take them to a different country with different people and places, they're two years old for god sake. You both couldn't spare one day out of your time to come help me out, me? A guy who has been here for you both since day one when you were both losing yourself. Do you think I wanted to help you guys? No, but I done it anyway because I love you both. When you're both married with kids, or more kids…" He looked at Dean, "And you're both going through a crisis that you need me for, don't expect me to be there." He looked at them both.

"Punk." Seth said, "C'mon man, we're so sorry. We've spent the past day thinking you were dead, we were a mess. We're sorry, ok." Seth pleaded for his friend's forgiveness.

"Just go home." Punk shrugged, "Both of you."

"We came to see you." Dean said.

"Well you've seen me, I'm alive. Now you can both leave." Punk said.

Seth just shook his head as Dean stood quietly beside, "We said we're sorry. What more do you want us to do?" Seth said.

"How about be there for me when I need you both!" Punk shouted.

AJ walked into the living room where the boys were standing, getting attracted in by Punks shouting.

"What is all the noise about in here?" She asked.

"We've said we're sorry. If you can't accept that and see that we're being sincere about that then I don't know what it is you want us to do." Seth said.

"Why don't we all just calm down, sit down and talk about this." AJ suggested.

"Shut up April." Seth said as AJ just hugged her arms and stepped back.

"What did you just say to her?" Punk moved towards Seth, inches away from him, watching Seth gulp, feeling intimidated by Punk.

"We're sorry, alright." Seth threw his hands up in the air, "C'mon Dean, let's go." Seth said, walking out of the house with Dean following behind, not really knowing what was going on.

"You ok?" Punk asked AJ, watching her nod and walk back into the kitchen.

Punk couldn't believe that they expected him to welcome them in with open arms, they left him high and dry, fending for himself with no help. He didn't need them, he never did. They needed him more than what he ever needed them.

**Crack in friendships, airport stalkers, Seth and Punk getting heated. More coming soon.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" AJ asked her husband as she walked back into the living room where Punk still stood.

"No. Far from it." Punk said bluntly, "They can't just expect me to forgive them, just because they thought I was dead." Punk turned his nose up, taking a seat on the couch behind him, feeling AJ walk over and sit beside him, rubbing his arm up and down comfortingly.

"At least they came." She said.

"I just want to forget about it. This is about me and you now, focusing on our kids. They've always held me back." Punk said.

"Oh Phil, don't say that. I know you don't mean it." She said, "You'll find your way back to them eventually. Maybe it's best you spend some time apart." She smiled, continuing to rub up and down his arm, just letting him know that she was here.

Punk just turned to her, smiling as he looked into her eyes. She always knew the exact words to say, never taking anyone's side but making sure she comforted him. He watched her look up at him innocently, her face full of want.

Punk pressed his lips against hers, tangling his hands in her hair as he got access to her mouth, sliding his warm wet tongue against hers as he felt her moan against the kiss.

Just as Punk began to lean her down on the couch, they both heard voices from the top of the stairs, both calling out for their attention.

"Would it be bad if we ignored them?" Punk said against her lips as he felt her smile, of course one hundred percent kidding on, he'd never leave his kids crying out for him.

"Go see to them and I'll get their breakfast ready." AJ smiled, pecking his lips loudly, walking away out into the kitchen, leaving Punk walking out into the stairway, smiling at his two most precious little people in the world standing at the top of the stairs.

Sam stood holding on to her teddy's ear, wearing little pink pyjamas with 'hug me' written on them, her messy air over her face as she stood next to her brother who looked equally as messy and half awake.

"Daddy, we want to play." Charlie jumped up and down as Punk made his way upstairs to them.

"Breakfast and baths first, right?" He looked at them both, picking them up into his arms, both of them swinging from either side of his hip as he walked downstairs with them.

"Then play?" Charlie said, scrunching his father's cheeks up and down and giggling. If there was one thing that Charlie loved to do, it was annoy his father.

"Yes." Punk mumbled, finding it rather difficult to say anything when a little monster was moving his cheeks up and down and rubbing his beard because it quote on quote 'felt good.'

Meanwhile Sam just leaned into Punk, her head on his shoulder and her eyes rather down. She just wasn't up to living here and Punk could tell. He hated to see her so upset and quiet. It wasn't like her.

_Later that day…_

"I can't believe him." Seth growled as he sat at the airport with Dean in Puerto Rico, their flight being delayed an hour, not helping with Seth's pissy mood.

"I can see where he is coming from." Dean said, he could understand why Punk would still be annoyed, he would be if he was in his position.

"It was his own damn fault he got back into trouble again. He can't come crying to us every time something goes wrong." Seth said.

"Seth, you need to chill man. He's just pissed we never helped him, he's fine now, he's alive… that's the important thing. He'll come round." Dean said, trying to lighten the mood a little, frankly he was just happy that Punk and his family weren't dead like Joe said.

"Why are you taking his side?" Seth said.

"I'm not taking anyone's side Seth, just go take a walk or something." Dean rolled his eyes, sitting back at the waiting area for their gate, watching Seth storm off and down the airport for a walk.

_Later that night…_

"Phil!" AJ shouted from the upstairs bathroom, getting Punks immediate attention from downstairs as he came to the hall and paced upstairs quickly to see AJ in the bathroom with Sam who was crying.

"What? What's wrong?" Punk asked as he walked in.

"She's just been sick." AJ said, holding Sam into her tightly, "I want you to call a doctor."

"Everyone throws up from time to time, April." Punk said, "She's probably just having trouble settling in." He said.

"You think?" AJ asked, not really knowing what to do, fearing that Sam was ill.

"Yes, give her to me." Punk said, taking Sam up into his arms, drying her tears and kissing her head, "You go on downstairs, I'll put her into bed." Punk said as he stroked AJ's cheek and left the bathroom, going into Sam's room with her still gurning in his ear, soft little moans now instead of the shrieking cries.

"Shh. You're alright." Punk soothed, laying her down in her bed and tucking the covers over her, brushing her soft brown hair out of her face, drying the wet tears that were escaping her eyes.

"Don't like it here." Sam moaned, as if she was in pain.

Punk just sighed and gave her a look of sympathy, "I know you don't sweetheart. I know you don't." He crouched down and played with her hair, stroking her head with his fingertips to try help her fall asleep.

"But here's the thing. We need to live here now because daddy can't go back to Chicago, but I promise you, we're going to have so much fun here. Alright… me, you, Charlie and mom. I know it's hard, but daddy is only doing this to protect you and your brother." He said, not expecting her to understand any of this, just saying it to comfort his own thoughts, continuing to stroke her cheek and look into her deep green eyes.

"Please don't worry, sweetheart." Punk said, "As long as you're with daddy, you don't have to be afraid." He said, watching her little eyes blink shut every now and then, listening to his words that were calming enough to put her to sleep.

"I love you so much." He whispered, standing up after seeing Sam fall fast asleep, turning the light off and walking out of the room, heading on downstairs where April was sitting on the couch, twiddling her thumbs.

"She's just having a hard time settling down, that's all. She'll be over it soon." Punk said, sitting down beside her and resting his hand on her bare lap, noticing she had short pyjamas on, her legs being one of the favourite parts of her body for him.

"I know. I just panicked, neither of them has ever been sick, besides when they were babies." AJ said.

"I know. She's sleeping now. She just really misses home." Punk said, stroking her leg up and down. Having to reassure a worried mother wasn't easy.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled up at him, knowing she'd me a mess of a wreck if she didn't have him always there reassuring her about things.

Punk just smiled down to the ground and suddenly felt her lips crash against his, feeling her push him back against the couch, one of her legs placing around the other side of him as she straddled his hips whilst kissing him, her tight shorts creeping up her ass as she continued to grind her hips up and down against him.

_In Chicago…_

"We followed Dean and Seth to the airport, boss." A worker told Joe at his desk, grabbing a piece of paper out of his jean pocket, "They dropped this on the way to boarding a flight to Puerto Rico." The worker handed Joe the piece of paper that Carol had gave Dean and Seth with the address to Punk and AJ's new home. It must have fell out Seth's pocket when they were boarding the flight and their stalkers had spotted it.

"Puerto Rico huh…" Joe smiled as he looked at the address, town and postcode written on the piece of paper, "Not just yet boys, let Punk boy have his fun, for now. Off you go." He shooed his workers away as he kept tight grip on the piece of paper, smirking as he looked on at it.

_A few hours later…_

"Have we had sex everywhere apart from our bedroom so far?" AJ laughed as she lay on the carpet floor in the middle of the living room with Punk, lying on her back with a blanket wrapped around her naked body, Punk lying with his boxers on.

"I mean… I'm pretty tired right now, but I could fit you in in the morning." Punk smiled as he turned to her, watching her laugh.

"I missed this." AJ said, taking a hold of his hand that was by his side.

"I missed this too." Punk nodded, "I love you." He smiled to her, raising his eyebrows and watching her smile, her angelic face facing his way, the love they had for each other getting stronger each day.

"I love you too." She smiled, rolling on to her side and cuddling into him, the floor being extremely uncomfy, but she could tolerate, especially when she was in his arms. The only place she ever felt safe.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next few weeks, AJ and Punk had fit into their jobs pretty well, getting on with everyone they worked with and enjoying having money in the bank again. AJ would have to take the twins in with her to work when Punk wasn't off, she suggested finding a babysitter for when both of them had to work, but Punk still had trust issues, especially when it involved taking care of his children.

The women at the jewellers store were all welcoming and allowed the twins to stay in the back of the shop and play while AJ worked, they all gushed over Charlie and his charming smile and always made Sam laugh, she was glad she wasn't stuck working with a bunch of morons.

It looked like Punk was right in saying that Sam just needed some time to settle in, she had really got back to her normal self over the past few weeks and had her little smile back on her face.

"Punk… I'm home." AJ exclaimed as she walked in the door, hanging her coat up and walking in through the living room, trailing to the kitchen to see Punk packing what looked like a picnic bag.

"Hey, you alright?" Punk greeted his wife.

"Yeah, what's all of this?" AJ asked him, "Where are the kids?" She asked.

"The kids are outside playing and this… this is me being one of those fun, romantic husbands." Punk smiled her way.

"Is that so?" AJ laughed.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I got all your favourite food in here, we're gona head down to the beach, look at the stars." Punk smiled.

"You're so sweet." AJ smiled, walking towards him, wrapping her arms around him as he reached down to peck her lips, "But you know it's illegal to have sex on a beach, right?" She smiled up to him.

"Well, I didn't intend to have sex while our kids watched but thank you for clearing that up." He said, watching AJ giggle against his chest, "Come on, I'll get the kids, you get all this stuff." Punk smiled, kissing her head and walking out the back garden to get the kids who were tiring themselves out by chasing each other.

_Later that night…_

"Do you ever just look at them and wonder if they could be anymore perfect?" AJ said, lying in between Punks legs on a blanket, the twins sleeping in their strollers, the sound of waves crashing in against the tide, calmness to her ears.

"I don't think they could get any more perfect." Punk smiled, "Feels like yesterday that they were just born." He smiled, remembering back to that glorious day that he was handed two tiny babies that were of his own.

AJ just smiled, feeling his hands rub up and down her arms as she lay in between his legs, fitting perfectly as he kissed down on her neck.

"This is nice." AJ whispered, enjoying this moment with her husband, feeling safe and relaxed after a long day.

"It is." Punk agreed, "Can I ask you something?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." AJ said, listening to him, always having time to listen to him.

"Do you feel safe here?" Punk asked out of curiosity.

"Phil…" AJ sighed, "I never felt unsafe in Chicago, I just didn't like the way we had to live, I've told you this before, as long as you are with me, I'm safe." She said.

"But you're happier here?" He asked.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "What's not to be happy about? Our kids are happy, the sun is always shining, I get to see you smiling again." She said, "We made lots of memories in Chicago, but I'm willing to make new ones here." She said.

"I love you so much." Punk said, kissing her head, continuing to hold her in his arms, silence around them, a good silence.

"I love you, Phil." AJ said, leaning her back into him as he shut her eyes over, her children fast asleep beside her in their strollers, the tide swishing in and out, soothing her as well as the man she was leaning against. Enjoying this moment.

_The next day…_

"What's the script boss? How long are we leaving him out there?" Dan asked Joe, sitting in his office.

"A few more days. I've came up with a plan." Joe laughed, "How do you get a man so deep in love to not care about anything anymore?" Joe smiled Dan's way.

"Um…" Dan looked around the room for answers, not knowing what the answer was.

"You break his heart." Joe smiled, "Get me a flight to Puerto Rico in three days' time."

"You aren't going to do what you told Dean and Seth you done?" Dan asked, genuinely a very cooperative man, not wanting Punk to be punished for this.

"Oh no. Of course not." Joe shook his head, "Much worse."

_With Punk and AJ…_

It was just hitting 3am and AJ was downstairs for a drink, leaving her sleeping husband and their children upstairs, leaning over the kitchen counter and sipping the glass of water she had poured. Things were really starting to look bright for them, they'd been over here for a few months now, their kids were finally settled in, they both had jobs that they didn't mind going to and got along with everyone in it, and they were finding themselves and the couple they used to be again, putting the past behind them. It was nice to be happy, they deserved to be happy.

She was sure the situation with Punk, Dean and Seth would work itself out, they were best friends, they would get over it and make up like they always done, even though Punk gave vibes that he wouldn't be forgiving anyone, she knew he would, all in good time.

AJ crept back upstairs after putting her glass in the sink, walking by the twins rooms and heading into her and Punks room, shutting the door over and noticing Punk mumble some things in his sleep, stirring around on his side of the bed a little, as if he was in some sort of distress.

"You can't…" He mumbled, "Get away…" He tossed and turned, alarming AJ as he seemed to get louder and more frustrated.

AJ didn't really know what to do, it wasn't nice to see him look so angry and upset, especially in his sleep.

"Huh…" Punk bolted up in bed, his eyes wide open as he patted AJ's side of the bed, "April… April…" He panicked, realising she wasn't beside him.

"Hey, I'm here…" She said, walking over to the bed and getting into her side, sitting up against the headboard as he hugged into her, his cheek pressed against her stomach as Punk glanced around the room to find his bearings.

"Are you ok?" AJ asked, stroking his hair sweetly.

"Yeah." Punk muttered, "Fine." He whispered.

"What were you dreaming about?" She asked curiously, her voice soft and mellow to his ears as she continued to run her fingertips down his hairline and cheek.

Punk just shook his head and never said anything, not comfortable talking about his dream to her, or anyone for that matter.

"Well you're alright, I'm here." She said, after feeling him shake his head, realising he didn't want to speak about it.

She realised a long time ago that her family were still healing from the past, especially Punk, she knew it was still going to take him a while until he was completely back to his normal self again, she could tell he was still worried and scared, but she knew they were safe here, no one would figure out they were here, not even Joe.

**Welp. Wouldn't count on that AJ. Everything is certainly about to kick off. I wonder what Joe's plan is. Hope you all enjoy and thank you for the REVIEWS.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

_Three days later…_

"I'll see you when I get home." Punk smiled to his wife as she stood at the front door, Sam swinging from her hip and Charlie holding on to her leg as she said goodbye to him.

"Have a good day." AJ smiled, pecking him on the lips, watching him kiss his kids goodbye, not knowing what the day would bring for them today.

"Say bye bye to daddy." AJ said, waving Punks direction as he walked off, Charlie jumping up and down beside her, the whole neighbourhood practically hearing him as he said bye to his father for the day, being extremely loud, she watched as Punk laughed, then quickly got the kids back into the house and closed the door over. She planned on letting them splash about in the pool after their breakfast while she done some house work, then put them down for a nap while she enjoyed some time to herself just watching some TV with a cup of coffee and one of those cupcakes that Punk had bought her on his way home from work the other day, passing an incredible bakery and knowing how much AJ loved cakes.

She was completely oblivious to the unkown watching her through the window, she just thought it was a normal day going by in her happy life with her family. That was all.

After the kids had their breakfast she let them outside to play, blowing their water wings up and putting them on their little arms, giving them rules not to fight with each other or splash one another, she'd be keeping a close eye on them anyway while she tidyed up.

Meanwhile outside the house, parked across the street was two black cars, waiting and stalking as they lost sight of AJ, seeing her appear through the window every now and then but not having constant watch on her.

"So… how long do you think he'll be out for?" A worker asked Joe, a typical sleeze bag who was only interested in pain, a bandana around his head, his neck covered in tattoos, eyebrow piercing, heavy dark eyes.

"As long as we need him to be." Joe said, tapping his fingertips on the stearing wheel.

"Phil is a lot of things, but he isn't stupid, do you think this is going to work? She's going to put up a good fight." Another worker added to the conversation.

"Trust me, as long as all of you understand what needs to be done, as long as you all know your roles, this will go perfectly to plan." Joe said, turning his head back to the house, watching AJ through the window with cold snake eyes.

Throughout the next few hours, AJ had finally got a chance to sit down. She'd had a war with both kids whilst taking them from the pool which they didn't want to leave, not wanting to admit they were tired, wanting to continue playing. But she always won.

She'd got them dried and put them into comfortable clothing, Sam in her little sweats and hooded jumper, Sam with his little shorts and batman t-shirt. They both went down a treat when she put them into their beds, not being surprised since they had played together for at least three hours straight while she got some house work done.

She lay down on the couch, putting her feet up with her coffee cooling on a coaster down beside the couch corner, switching through the channels to look for something good to watch. Daytime TV sucked.

She sat watching Love It or List It for the next half an hour, enjoying her coffee and the freedom she knew not a lot of people her age could get.

After boring herself with the TV, she walked upstairs and ventured into her room, not having anything better to do with herself than press hot underwear up against her body and look at herself in the mirror, feeling herself lucky tonight.

"He likes red…" She muttered to herself, pressing a red garment against her body, turning side to side in the mirror, "But black…" She fought with herself, holding up the black lacey underwear, beside herself on which looked sexier, such life decisions

After finally deciding on the red underwear, she left out beside her bed and headed back downstairs, putting the kids dinner on for them, knowing they would be up soon and would be looking for their dinner.

She hummed to herself while stirring the pasta around in the pot, so content and happy with her life now, feeling safe to be on her own now, feeling like her children were out of harm and were safe in not just their fathers arms but her arms too.

She was a little surprised and annoyed when she heard the front door open, not expecting Punk to be home for another few hours where she was going to welcome him in only her stockings and underwear.

"Phil, why are you home so early?" AJ called from the kitchen, turning down the pot on the cooker and cleaning her hands on the kitchen towel, slowly walking out of the kitchen and into the living room, looking up as her smile slowly started to fade out with her soul, her heart skipping a beat into the unsafety she felt before they moved, the air in the house going from mildly warm to freezing cold, her body being watched by so many eyes, so many dark and evil eyes.

She stumbled backwards but realised quickly she had no where to go, no where to run, her children who she had just thought were at safety now were sleeping upstairs and she wasn't going anywhere without them. She couldn't breathe, she was back in that bubble again, that intoxicating dangerous bubble.

"April, sweetheart." Joe smiled as she looked on at AJ's terrified face, four men standing behind him.

"W-What are you…" AJ turned away from them in disgust, taking her shaking hand and wiping her tears, "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice hitched and terrified.

"Here's the thing, April… baby, your husband left my coorperation without so much as a warning, leaving me short of men and in some trouble, also… no one leaves this buisiness." He said, his eyes rolling around, completely terrifiying her out of her skin.

"Please…" AJ begged, "Please, don't hurt me." She pleaded, not believing that this was happening, after how good things were going.

"You won't be hurt April." Joe shook his head, "In fact, you're going to help us." Joe sadistictly smiled AJ's way, making her feel sick to her stomach.

Joe turned around to two of his men on the right side of him, nodding them in the direction of upstairs, watching AJ immediately walk towards them.

"No, don't you dare! Don't you go near them." AJ said, watching the two men creep away upstairs as she was held back by Joe, his slimy hands on her as he pushed her away.

"They won't be harmed." Joe said, "They'll be dropped off next door at your neighbours." Joe said.

"How can I believe a single word you say." AJ scowled.

"They aren't apart of this. Now, sit…" Joe said, forcing her by the shoulders to sit down on the couch.

AJ just sat biting her nails, figeting and not sitting still, the thought of her baby's being touched by those horrible men was haunting her, she wanted to know what the meaning of this was.

"So here is what is going to happen." Joe sat down next to AJ, knowing how much she was trying not to look scared. She was tough, he would give her that, "You… are going to die." Joe smiled to her, watching her look his way, biting the inside of her mouth, so beside herself and so god damn scared at this moment in time.

"Over Phil's dead body." AJ spat, knowing her husband would never let harm reach her way, then again… he wasn't here right now.

"The look on your face." Joe laughed, "No, you aren't going to die. Well… not really." He shrugged.

"Not really?" AJ looked at him in confusion, disgusted to be so near him, "I want to see my children, I don't trust you." AJ said, going to stand up when Joe pulled her back down.

"April. You understand that young Phil must be punished." Joe nodded to her.

"Punished for what? Standing up for himself, protecting his family, look out for his kids. You are all low life, scum that all deserve to rot in hell." AJ spat.

"No, punished for going against my orders, for fleeing and leaving me high and dry, regardless of him protecting you and your little family together." Joe said, "Now, let me ask you something April…" Joe said.

AJ cursed upon anytime Joe coldly said her birth name. Only Phil called her by that and she wanted it kept that way, it was an intimate thing, Joe had no right.

"What is Phil's biggest weakness?" He asked her, getting rather too close to her for her liking, watching AJ shuffle away from him on the couch.

"I'm not…" AJ paused when Joe grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back and gritting his teeth.

"What is his weakness?" He croacked in her ear.

AJ just gulped, her neck in pain with the force of Joe's grip in her hair, pulling her head back and demanding an answer, "Letting down people he loves." AJ whispered with guilt, tears streaming down her eyes in shame.

"Good girl. Now, what would Phil do if he realised he'd let his dear children down by not protecting their mother." Joe said.

"What are you even talking about?" AJ said, wanting to get up and run so badly, not being able to stand another minute, this house had automatically turned into their old one in Chicago, all the joy that it had brung these past months had been ruined.

She wished for Punk so badly.

"What if Phil thought he'd lost you? What if Phil thought it was all his fault? What if Phil had to go on in life without his darling little April?" Joe said, his two other men laughing behind him as AJ just looked around in confusion, so scared and ready for passing out, the shock had sunk in now and she just wished for Punk to come and save her from this nightmare.

"I… Please, just leave my family alone, my children don't deserve this, Phil doesn't deserve this." AJ cried.

"Oh but he does." Joe said, "So what do you say April, join our plan, protect your husband? Come with me and my men, lead Phil on to believing that you are _dead._" Joe said, emphisising on the 'dead' part as AJ just looked at him in disbelief, wondering how anyone could be so sick and twisted, his venom he spat in her direction surrounding her and scarring her.

"You're insane." AJ shook her head, never agreeing to anything like that in her life.

"Here's the fun part though." Joe said…

"No… I want you to leave. Get out of my house, give me my children back… please, I'll… I'll…" AJ stood up and reached for the phone, "I'll call the cops." She threatened, knowing that wouldn't scare any of them.

Joe stood up and got right in her face, snatching the phone from her and throwing it across the living room, grabbing her by the hair again and pulling her face towards him, "If you don't agree to my plan April… Phil and your precious little children will be dead… and not the pretend kind of dead." He said, looking at the fear in her eyes, pressuring himself onto her as well as sick plan to have her fake her own death for the benefit of him watching Punk break down into a million pieces.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**

**And so it begins.**


	12. Chapter 12

"What about my children? You want me to just up and leave them for the benefit of you watching Phil break down?" She said as Joe finally let go of her hair, still close in her face but not bringing any pain to her.

"Phil will take good care of them, I'm sure." Joe said.

"And what do I do whilst I'm supposedly dead?" AJ asked, not even believing that Joe actually came up with sick, twisted idea.

"You come with me and my men. We'll treat you real nice." Joe whispered in her ear.

AJ just turned away from feeling his cold breath up her neck, wondering why on earth she had been landed with this disgusting decision.

"I'll never get to see him again?" AJ asked, a lump in her throat.

"You will. Just maybe a year or two later." Joe said, watching AJ look horrified by the thought of not seeing Punk for two years.

"But I mean…" Joe said, "If you want him dead along with your children, I can make that happen instead. It's your choice." Joe smiled, threatening AJ with his biggest threat yet.

"Please, don't make me do this." AJ said, knowing that having Phil and her children killed wasn't an option and that she only had one way to go.

"C'mon, it could be fun." Joe smiled, looking on at AJ scowling at him.

"H-He'll know… He'll see me breathing, he'll know I'm not dead." AJ said, trying to stall this as much as she could.

"Here's the plan, young April." Joe smiled, grabbing AJ's fighting hand in his and taking her to the couch to sit back down again, poisoning and scarring her with his words and plan. She couldn't keep up with this anymore, maybe she'd just kill herself, for real, so she didn't have to agree to this to keep her children and husband safe.

_Later With Punk…_

"Phil, you can get going, we're pretty quiet." Punk's boss shouted across the garage.

"Thanks man." Punk nodded, he loved getting away from work early, it meant there was more time for him to spend with his wife and kids.

The walk home from work was always refreshing, it was just at sunset and the warm breeze in the air coming from the shore was a compliment to his face. He didn't regret for one moment ever moving here, it was perfect for him and his family, the people were nice, the culture, AJ loved the sun, the kids loved playing. It was definitely a good decision that he had made.

After Punk enjoyed the walk to his home, he walked up the drive and looked across at the four black cars, more than what was there this morning, which he expected were just people visiting, but it made him a little weary. He shook it off though and walked into his home with a smile on his face.

"April…" Punk exclaimed as he walked in the door, shutting it over behind him, unzipping his jacket and throwing it over at the stairs, putting his hand on the door handle to enter the living room, walking right in and losing so much of his heart.

He looked around at Joe and a few other men and then darted his eyes to April in the middle of the living room, lying on her back, her eyes closed.

"April…" Punk darted to her side, not even bothering to look at Joe, "April…" Punk shook AJ, coming to terms with the dry blood in her ear, trailing down the side of her face.

"We've called an ambulance." Joe said, the look on Punks eyes already priceless.

"What did you do to her?" Punk gritted his teeth at all of them.

"Nothing." Joe put his hands up, "We came in to see you, she got scared, ran out of the house, tripped and hit her head off the stairs, we took her back into the house and called 911 immediately." Joe said, paying close attention to AJ who was doing a good job with keeping still.

"You're lying." Punk stood up, so many things running through his mind. Where were his kids? Was AJ going to be alright? What really happened? Why was this perfect life coming to a close so quickly?

"I'm not." Joe put his hands up in surrender, "She fell and tripped outside. In fact, we came here to tell you not to worry about coming back to Chicago, she got scared and ran out." Joe said.

"April wouldn't have ran out. She wouldn't have left the kids." Punk said, quickly turning his head back to AJ, kneeling back down beside her, only interested in her.

"C'mon April…" Punk said, looking at AJ's pale face, examining the blood that had poured out of her ear, "Where are the kids?" Punk asked, looking up at the scum surrounding him.

"We took them next door to your neighbours, keep them out the way." Joe said, doing such a good job of playing the good guy, his eyes still watching AJ closely.

Just then paramedics had rushed into the house, immediately attending to AJ as Punk stood up, covering his hand over his mouth as he paced up and down. He couldn't believe this, why would AJ have ran, she wasn't the type to run away from anything, especially leaving her kids in the watch of Joe and his men. If anything had happened to her, he couldn't live with himself. He was so beside himself, why did things have to come to an end this quickly, just when he thought him and his family were safe. He didn't believe one word Joe said.

He paced and paced, watching the paramedics examine AJ over, taking her pulse, looking in her ear, listening to her heart, everything and yet… they seemed to have turned around to him with empty faces, all shaking their head in his direction with sadness on their face.

His heart had jumped out of his body and was lying somewhere on the floor where Joe had stamped on it. He couldn't breathe, someone was chocking him, this wasn't real life. It wasn't.

_Flashback…_

"_Here…" Joe said, handing three fake paramedics, dressed up in uniform a large amount of money each to help him out with his plan, standing outside of AJ and Punks house earlier._

_He then proceeded to tell AJ over and over again what she had to do, ignoring her cries and pleads for him to let it go, preparing her for the toughest moment of her life, proceeding to tell her that if she didn't keep agreeing to this, her husband and children would be dead._

Punk fell to his knees beside AJ, taking her hand in his as the paramedics stood up and backed away.

Joe folded his arms, a smirk edging over his mouth as he looked on at Punk.

"April…" Punk cried, holding her in his arms as his tears fell on to the carpet, silent but deep crying taking over him as his brain spun around, not believing this, refusing to believe that his wife was dead, the mother of his children, his sweetheart, his soul mate, she wasn't gone, she couldn't be.

"AJ!" Punk cried loudly, rocking her back and forth in his arms as he cried loudly, not even noticing that her chest was moving up and down, he wasn't looking, he'd been told by professionals that she was dead. He couldn't believe this, he couldn't go on without her, she was his everything, he was nothing without her.

"April." He cried over and over again as his tears continuously fell on the floor, holding her in his arms as he cried in pain, feeling like someone was grabbing his heart and squeezing all the love out of it.

_Flashback…_

"_I don't want to do this… you can't make me do this…" AJ cried, after being plastered by some red substance in her ear and face, refusing to do this, she wasn't going to be a part of this, this was her husband, she couldn't be parted from him, not even for a day._

"_April. Just lie down on the floor." Joe said, having had enough of AJ's crying and whining, having heard her for the past hour._

"_No, you can't make me do this. He'll fall apart, my kids… he won't be able to look after them… you can't make me…"_

_AJ had no choice to get down on the floor when Joe punched her square on the face, knocking her out and dragging her into position. He was born bad, he told people. He knew how to get people right where it hurt, he knew how to execute plans to the very end, he was an evil genius and could get away with the sickest of things, this was going to be one of them._

"Please don't leave me…" Punk said, holding her close to him, brushing her hair out of her face, kissing her cold head, closing his eyes as his tears still managed to escape out of the closed lids.

He rocked back and forth with her continuously, refusing to believe she was gone, that her life didn't exist anymore, that he wouldn't get to kiss her or touch her ever again, that he wouldn't laugh, smile or cry with her, that his children would go on in life without a mother.

"April!" Punk cried, holding her so tightly, never letting her go, not now, not ever. Going from being so happy and alone where it was just the two of them, to losing her all in the one go. He wasn't sure if he could go on, if he would be able to look after the twins, he wasn't sure if he would even be able to look after himself. He just refused to believe she was gone forever. He couldn't come to terms with it and held her tighter and tighter as he cried and cried, oblivious to Joe still standing in the room.

Joe stood in the corner, his arms folded, watching ever tear that poured out of Punks eye, each tear representing each piece of his heart that was breaking. Just like always, his plan had worked and Punk really believed his wife was dead, he knew that once AJ had woke up from her out cold sleep she would be hard to hold back, but he always won, it was his speciality.

"April…" Punk said, resting his forehead against AJ's, kissing her head as his tears dropped on her skin, rocking her back and forth in his arms as he cried and cried, never feeling pain like this, and he'd felt a lot of pain in his life. He couldn't go on without her. He wouldn't.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**

**Will Joe's plan execute the way he wants it to? More in the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Sir… we're going to have to take her." The paramedic said, or what Punk thought was the paramedic.

"Take her where?" Punk looked up, holding AJ into him, his eyes red and puffy, completely cried dry, he didn't have any more tears left.

"Take her to the mortuary." The paramedics said.

"Oh god." Punk cried, his head sinking back down as it sunk back in that his wife was really gone, he could see these paramedics were real, why wouldn't he believe them?

"C'mon boys, let's leave." Joe said, heading out and pushing his men in front of him to leave, leaving Punk sitting in the middle of the floor with AJ still out cold from Joe's punch in his arms.

"If you want to say your goodbyes, we'll be taking her straight to the undertakers for burial." The paramedics said, remembering their words they were told to say by Joe.

"Aren't you going to check how she died?" Punk croaked, AJ's soft hair in his hands, her body lifeless in his arms as he refused to let her go for one minute.

"It's clear she has taken a bump to the head, which would explain the blood coming from her ear. We know things as soon as we see it." The paramedics said.

Punk just nodded, not believing that Joe was actually telling the truth when he said AJ had tripped and fell hitting her head. He couldn't do this, he couldn't face that this was reality, his life was empty without his wife, he wouldn't smile, or laugh again, not without her.

"We'll give you a minute." The paramedics said, stepping out of the room for a minute.

Punk just looked down at her. She looked at peace, she looked settled and unsuffered by any pain, but that didn't make him feel any better, she was still gone, forever. He refused to believe this was actually happening.

"April…" He cried, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry…" He took a deep breath, finding it hard to speak to her, knowing she wasn't listening, knowing she wasn't here anymore.

"I love you… so much." He said, nudging his head against hers, "I won't let the kids forget you." He promised, not knowing what else to say, she was gone? He couldn't tell her he was going to keep her safe, he'd failed at that.

"I'll love you forever." Punk cried, pressing his lips against her cold ones, not feeling her kiss back like she always done, pulling back as he cried and held her back into him, so much shock, so much pain, it was all just too much.

Punk looked up at the paramedics walk in the door, a stretcher and a white sheet in their hands, asking him to step away.

Punk didn't want to let go, he couldn't, he refused until he was finally ripped away from AJ, her body falling lifelessly on the floor as he was pulled to his feet by the paramedics. His legs felt like jelly, he couldn't feel them, he couldn't feel anything.

Punk watched as they put a white sheet over AJ, covering her face away from him as she was taken out of the house and away. He leaned his back against the wall and looked up, closing his eyes and wishing he could wake up from this nightmare, this horrible, tragic nightmare, but he was tapped by one of the paramedics.

He opened his eyes and looked at the man in the green uniform.

"Sir, we'll be in touch. We don't advise that you visit your wife after we take her to the undertakers, once she's there, it's better to just leave her in peace. We'll be around to talk about funeral details…" The paramedics said, watching Punk just shut his eyes, not being able to cope with this already.

"Funeral details…" Punk repeated in awe, this really was happening?

"Yes." The paramedics said, "We know this is hard sir. But she's at peace. We'll be in touch." The paramedics said, putting his hand on Punks shoulder and smiling sympathetically, leaving the house, the quiet and haunting house.

Punk sank down the wall and hugged his knees, putting his face between his legs and sobbed quietly. He left for work this morning with the image of AJ standing at the door with their children, waving goodbye to him, not even realising that would be the last time she would see him.

He lifted his head and banged it against the wall, not knowing if he could ever come to terms with this, his best friend, his soul mate, his AJ, she was gone… she wasn't coming back.

He took a few minutes to himself, standing up, barely being able to stand still on his own, being met by Joe at the door who had his finest sympathy face on.

"Phil. I'm so sorry." Joe said.

Punk just looked at him, not having anything to say, if Joe had never showed up, AJ wouldn't have had a reason to run and therefor she wouldn't have fell and hit her head, she'd still be here in his arms, alive.

"Just leave." Punk said, his hands still shaking.

"If there is anything I can do." Joe put his hand on his chest, looking sincere.

"Leave." Punk repeated, not in the mood to throw punches, AJ hated violence, she wouldn't want him to get angry.

"Ok." Joe put his hands up, "Again, I'm sorry." Joe said, turning his back and leaving out of the door.

Punk held onto the front door, taking deep breaths, struggling to catch any, the night turning dark quickly, maybe it was just his eyes, everything seemed dark from his point of view.

He left his house, stumbling across the gardens and knocking on his neighbours doors, collecting his children and ignoring his nosey neighbours questions, holding onto his children tightly as he walked back to his house, shutting the door over and walking upstairs, putting them each to bed, painfully ignoring Charlie's questions as to why he was upset, hugging them both equally as tight before leaving their rooms.

He walked into his and AJ's room, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it, realising he would never sleep next to her again, he'd be alone from now on and the pain that he was feeling from that wasn't even imaginary.

He sat down on her side, picking her pillow up and burying his face into it, still smelling like her and the perfume she wore. He lay down on her side, hugging the pillow into him, lying on his side and staring at the photo of him and AJ on the bedside cabinet while he hugged the pillow, the sheets almost flooding with his tears as he cried himself into a cold sleep, a sleep where he was barely even sleeping, he could still feel the pain, the most horrible pain in the world.

_The next morning…_

"My head…" AJ moaned, waking up in some sort of house that felt empty and cold, barely a blanket on her, one flattened pillow she was sleeping on.

"Ahh, you're awake." Joe noticed, "How's your head?" He asked.

"Sore." AJ said, looking around and realising what had happened, it was a new day… the first day for Punk without his wife, "D-Did… did it happen?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah. He bought it. Good work." Joe smiled, patting AJ on the leg.

"Don't touch me." AJ scowled, pushing his hand away, not even imagining how upset Punk must have been, glad she was knocked out cold during it, she wouldn't have been able to do it, "So what now?" AJ asked, holding her head, "Where even are we?"

"Now, the hard part is over. Your funeral is in a few days." Joe said, watching AJ nearly pass out.

"Who… you… you're letting him burry some random person, leading him on to thinking it's me?" AJ said, completely feeling sick to her stomach at everything that was going on.

"Precisely. Now, as soon as the funeral is over, we head back to Chicago and Punk shall stay here with your kids."

"Why do you need me to come with you?" AJ asked, hugging her arms.

"Because I don't trust you to wonder around yourself, you'll run straight to him." Joe said.

"Don't you understand what you're putting him through, this is worse than killing him." AJ gasped.

"I know. That's the whole point." Joe said, "Just you leave everything to me, you're in good hands now." Joe smiled, watching AJ physically look sick, "We'll be staying here for a few more days, just call me if you need anything. You know my name." Joe smiled, walking out of the room.

AJ crossed her leg as she sat up in bed, her hands covering her face. This was full on kidnap, she knew she couldn't escape now, but she kept on telling herself she had done the right thing, she had saved her husband and kid's lives. She cared about them too much to risk them being killed. She didn't want to think about the pain Punk was feeling, she couldn't bear to imagine her kids asking where she was. She just had to be strong and get on with this, she was sure she would see Punk again, one day, she just kept reminding herself that she had done this for him and their children. She prayed he would keep his chin up.

_With Punk…_

Punk had gone to sleep crying and woke up crying, being woke up by the kids shouting for him, his heart pounding when he heard them shout for their mother. He had to put on a brave face for them and try smile, they wouldn't understand what was happening, he still was having trouble understanding what was really happening.

He got them up and bathed, funnily enough they made him smile, their giggles and their hugs they were giving him, as if they knew he was upset about something, but there was no doubt, he couldn't do this alone.

As soon as he'd got over the hardest part of the day, waking up. He left the kids to play with god knows what out the back while he contacted Dean and Seth. Regardless of what was going on with them, he needed them, he didn't even care how much of a hypocrite he sounded.

"Seth…" Punk took a deep breath, having to clear his throat, never thinking he'd have to do something like this, "Seth… I need you… I need you to come to Puerto Rico. It's really…" He sighed, "It's really important." He spoke through the phone.

Of course Seth asked why and if Punk was ok, sensing such a sadness in his tone of voice, he almost swore he heard Punk chocking on some tears, coughing to hide it.

To save Punk another miserable phone call, he asked Seth to get Dean and Renee to come. Hearing him agree immediately, knowing something wasn't right.

He was still in such shock, having to remind himself every minute that his wife was dead and gone forever. He'd never had to go through something like this in his life and in a few days he'd be burying her, saying goodbye for good.

_A few hours later…_

After Punk dozed off and on to sleep all day on the couch, staring into space, in shock, in disbelief and thinking about what he could have done to still have AJ alive, the kids playing in the living room now with their blocks and toys, not going near their father, knowing he was upset. They might have been young but they weren't stupid.

After giving the kids their dinner which they asked a few times where their mother was, wondering why their father was ignoring them every time they asked, Punk put them to bed, not saying much, not really knowing what to say or how to act with them now, the poor things didn't even know what had happened, they'd just lost their mother.

Just as he walked downstairs he heard the door go, looking at the figures standing outside through the stain glassed window on the door.

He walked towards the door and unchained the door, opening it up and never feeling so relieved to see his best friends, not making anything better obviously, but he didn't feel so alone like what he had the full day, just replaying the night before over and over again.

"Punk…" Dean said, looking at his best friend who looked like he had been crying for the full state of America.

Punk just opened the door wide, letting them all in, Dean, Renee, Seth and Paige. He assumed Faye was at Renee's mothers, which told him Dean had expected something bad to have happened.

They walked into the living room and stared at Punk who looked terribly ill, confused, sick and hurt.

"Where's AJ?" Renee asked, standing infront of Dean with her arms folded.

Punk just looked down at the ground, his hands on his hips as he sighed loudly, looking up at them all, their faces a little scared of what he had to say.

Especially Dean and Seth.

"AJ…" Punks voice bucked under him, "She um…" He fidgeted around, not being able to find the words, "She's…" He looked at Seth who had clicked on, watching him shake his head, his lip quivering as his hand dropped from Paige's.

"She's not…" Seth said, the same look on Punks face that he used to look at in the mirror when Claire died.

"She is." Punk nodded, gasping for some sort of air that he couldn't find, "She's dead." Punk whispered, rubbing his hand over his forehead, hiding his crying self from them.

Renee let out one loud, shocked gasp that was mixed with a cry, her hands flying to her mouth.

Dean stumbled backwards, finding the wall behind him and sinking down it, looking around the room in shock, his hands in his hair.

Paige stood still, her mind so far gone from in the room, not believing that AJ had died, just physically not believing it.

Renee walked towards Punk and wrapped her arms around him, crying into him as Punk hugged her back, understanding that she had been friends with AJ from the very beginning, before he even knew her.

Seth turned to face the wall, pressing his forehead against it as tears fell down his cheeks and onto the ground, Dean in the corner hiding his face away from everyone as he cried to himself. Paige stood in shock while Renee cried to Punk who was equally crying.

None of them had expected to come and hear this. They knew Punk obviously had some news by the way he spoke on the phone, and Dean and Seth knew it was urgent since they were still meant to be on thin ice with Punk for not helping him when he asked. None of them could take this in, it was too sudden, too hard to believe.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

After a deadly silence for a few minutes, everyone taking a minute to comprehend everything in their brains, Dean asked the question they were all wondering, not even imagining how Punk was feeling. This was so sudden, so out of nowhere, so tragic and horrible.

"H-How?" Dean asked, still sitting on the floor against the wall, hugging his knees, so shocked and confused.

"She… Joe came to the house, she got scared and slipped, hit her head on the way… I was at work and came back where she was already…" Punk gasped, "She was already gone." Punk said, feeling Renee leave his arms, drying her tears and walking over to Dean who had stood up, hugging him and resting her head on his chest.

"Where is she now? Can we see her?" Seth asked.

"She's at the undertakers… they told me they'd rather no one visited, so I said… I said my goodbyes last night." Punk said, sitting down on the couch, feeling light headed.

"This doesn't make sense." Renee sighed, silent tears flowing out her eyes as Dean comforted her, equally upset as her.

"What am I meant to do?" He put his hands out for answers, looking at them all, not knowing where to go, where to turn. He was completely lost without AJ and this was only the beginning.

"We'll stay here, with you." Paige said as they all nodded, "We'll help out with the kids." She said, knowing that Punk needed them around, to keep him going, even though nothing could make losing AJ any better for him.

"Thanks." Punk mumbled, running his hands through his hair.

"When is the funeral?" Seth asked.

"I don't know. I'll be getting a visitor soon to talk about funeral stuff, what type of coffin…" He paused and put his hand across his eyes, not believing any word that was coming out of his own word, "What type of coffin… what the headstone should say…" Punk sighed, he wasn't prepared for this, none of it.

They all just exchanged looks to one another, such sadness around them all.

_Later that night…_

Later on that night Punk got a visit from the undertaker like he expected, the support of his friends the only thing getting him through the visit, nobody wanted to pick out a coffin or headstone, especially not when it was your wife.

Dean suggested they wrote in the headstone, _Beautiful wife, Loving mother, Amazing friend._

They also picked out a simple coffin which seemed to be right considering AJ was a simple person and agreed to have the casket closed during the service, Punk couldn't deal with saying goodbye to her, looking at her face the full time, realising she would never open her eyes again.

The undertaker also told them all that a Joe Richardson had identified the body, which Punk was extremely annoyed by, then again… he didn't know if he could have went and confirmed that it was AJ, even though he knew it was after holding her dead in his arms for a while. They were told it was definitely April Jeanette Brooks and Punk just nodded, not having to be told twice that his wife was dead, he got the point. Seth was a little pissed however that it was Joe that went and confirmed the body, but he bit his tongue from saying anything. He knew Punk just wanted everything dealt with without any fuck ups.

Once it was done thankfully for Punk, everything really sinking in that in a few days he would be burrying his wife, he really wanted to take a lie down, not before Seth had questions for the undertaker.

"Can we see her, we havent got a chance to say goodbye." Seth said, really wanting to see AJ, to tell her goodbye personally and together as her group of friends that they'd always be.

"Eh…" The undertaker paused, "I will need to speak with some people, they usually don't like to disturb the body once it's at rest, but I will try work something out for you all." The undertaker said, standing up and leaving the house, having Seth walk him out.

"Phil, do you want something to eat, coffee?" Renee asked Punk after the hard part had been done and dusted.

Only then had Punk just realised he hadn't ate in 24 hours, but yet he still wasn't hungry, "No, I'm fine." Punk shook his head, "I'm… going to lie down." Punk said, standing up, rubbing his neck as he walked out of the room and headed upstairs.

"I can't believe this." Dean said, running his hands through his hair, he just couldn't face it that AJ was gone.

"The last thing I told her was to shut up." Seth sighed, collapsing on the couch, really wishing he could go back in time and erase the moment he told AJ to shut up.

Paige just took Seth's hand, rubbing her thumb on the top of his hand.

"Me and Renee will crash down here tonight, you two can have the spare room upstairs." Dean said, "Something tells me we won't be getting much sleep anyway."

"Do you think Punk will be ok?" Seth asked.

"He's just lost his wife." Renee looked at Seth, "Of course he won't be. That's why we need to be strong… for him." Renee said.

They all nodded in agreement, knowing they had to be strong for Punks sake and for they darling children who had just lost their mother.

_With Joe…_

"What do you mean they want to see her?" Joe said through the phone as he paced up and down the abandoned house he was keeping AJ at for the time being until they would head back to Chicago.

"Tell them they can't, simple as that." Joe continued to speak with the hired undertaker he was paying to go along with his plan.

Joe hung up on the call and made his way up to the room he was keeping AJ suffocated in, opening the door and watching her sit on the edge of the bed, still looking terribly white and scared.

"The funeral is in three days. Your buddy's have come over." Joe said.

AJ just sighed and rolled her eyes, not only did her husband and kids think she was dead, now her best friends did, this was tearing too many people she loved apart, she felt sick and ashamed, but reminded herself that she could have been the one planning a funeral for her husband and children, not a pretend one.

"Don't look so sad, April." Joe pouted, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him and walking over to AJ who hugged her arms and shuffled away from him until she had nowhere else to shuffle to, feeling him sit close to her.

"Get away from me." AJ whispered, not wanting this evil creature anywhere near her.

"I can see why Phil is going to miss you." Joe whispered, hooking his finger in her bra strap and slipping it down her arm, watching her immediately pull it back up.

"Don't touch me." AJ said, standing up and getting away from him, couldn't he just leave her alone? She'd done what he asked.

"Me and you are going to be spending a lot more time together, April. Get used to it." Joe stood up, "We'll be leaving straight after the funeral." He spat, walking by her and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him as AJ sat back on the bed, leaning her head down, tucking it between her legs as she weeped, wondering how this could have happened to her. She wanted Punk right now, to hug and hold her, she wanted to hear the sweet laughter from her children, but she wasn't going to get any of that, not for a long time, not until Joe was satisfied with how long he had broken Punk for.

_Three days later…_

After the undertaker telling AJ's family and friends that they couldn't see AJ, which to Seth was rather strange and unlikely, they just got on with things and prepared themselves for the funeral. Over those three days, Dean had contacted Carol and Punks sister who were immediately on a flight to Puerto Rico and there to pay their respects and keep their son and brother staying strong.

Funerals were never nice, even if it was someone you never really knew, especially not when it was someone you loved and shared a life with. Punk just wanted the day to be over, he wanted everyone to stop coming over to him and hugging him.

After the service where he just couldn't take his eyes off of the closed coffin, knowing his dead wife was lying inside, they headed to the cemetery where the rain didn't stop pouring, even in Puerto Rico.

He felt the life suck out from him as the coffin was lowered into the ground, Dean beside him with Renee hugged into him, Paige and Seth on his other side, while he stood with no love anymore, burying her six foot under.

He also seen that Joe was standing by, which angered Punk but he wasn't in the mood to shout and yell, today was about saying goodbye to AJ, maybe Joe was genuinely here to pay respect.

After he watched every single drop of soil cover the coffin over, everyone began to clear off slowly but surely, leaving just him, Dean, Seth, Renee and Paige.

"Someone go get the kids." Punk said, standing with his hands in his suit trousers, looking at the headstone, his eyes on the engraved name, particularly looking at Brooks. If she wasn't a Brooks, if she didn't get involved with him, she wouldn't be dead, and that was the bottom line.

"Phil… I don't think you should…" Renee said.

"Go get me my kids." Punk turned back to them all.

Renee nodded and walked off to fetch Sam and Charlie who were with Punks sister.

5 or 10 minutes later, Renee walked back to the grave with Sam and Charlie, not feeling that this was ok, dragging two 2 year olds through a cemetery where their mother had just been buried.

"Phil. I don't think you should do this." Renee shook her head, feeling Punk take Sam from her arms, as well as taking hold of Charlie's hand, putting Sam down and crouching down to their level as they stood at the bottom of the grave.

The twins weren't sure what was going on, they were confused as to why they were here at this funny looking place, and they were confused as to why their mother hadn't been around these past few days.

"You know… how mom hasn't been around for a bit?" Punk said, Sam on one side of him while Charlie stood at the other.

"Yeah…" Sam whispered, the rain making her hair wet as well as everyone else.

"Well… here's the thing…" Punk said, trying to find a little bit of strength from somewhere, "Mom isn't going to be around anymore." He said.

Renee wiped the tear that rolled down her cheek, turning into Dean and burying her face in his chest.

"Why?" Charlie asked out of curiosity. He'd like to see his mother again if that was possible.

"She's gone to sleep forever." Punk swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked them both in the eye, "So anytime you want to speak to her, tell her anything, we'll come here, because this is where she listens to us." Punk said.

Seth just smiled his tears away at the incredibly right words that Punk was telling his children.

"Will she speak back?" Sam asked her father, still a little confused.

"She won't speak back, but she'll listen to us, she'll be watching us every day, we just can't see her anymore." Punk said.

Charlie looked to his father, his lip quivering, "But… I want to see her." Charlie cried.

Punk felt a warm tear roll down his cheek as his son cried into him, his daughter staying strong beside him as he hugged Charlie, lifting him up as he buried his head into his suited shoulder, Sam stood strong beside her father.

Dean just sighed, the sound of Charlie's cries ringing in his and everyone else's ear. No child deserved to never see their mother again. It was cruel. Life was cruel.

"We'll take her home." Seth said as he scooped Sam up into his arms, watching Punk nod as he held his son in his arms, everyone else leaving the grave slowly as the rain poured down, leaving Punk standing in front of the headstone with Charlie screaming in his ear.

"I know…" Punk nodded, rubbing Charlie's back in circular notions, "I know pal. I miss her too." Punk sighed, "Let's go…" He said, taking one final look at the grave where he thought his wife lay, walking out of the grave and getting into his car outside, putting a still sobbing Charlie into his car seat.

Across the road was a black car where Joe sat in the front seat, keeping a close eye on Punk across the road, getting him and his son into the car, completely drenched from the rain and his tears.

"Phil…" AJ whispered, touching the car window as she watched Punk, looking completely drained and ill, getting into the car with what she could see was a crying Charlie. She couldn't live with herself after this. But she done it to protect him, right? Right.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

_With AJ…_

AJ sat at the airport, her hood up at the request of Joe, sitting at the waiting area in front of the gate for her flight back to Chicago. She was a mess, she couldn't stop visualising the image of Punk leaving the cemetery with their son crying in his arms, she already missed him so much and the thought of not seeing him again for a long time was tearing her apart, but it was better than knowing she would never see him again. She had no idea how this had all actually worked, then again… Joe was in charge of everything, so of course it worked.

She had no idea what Joe was actually interested in her doing, she prayed to God it wasn't anything out of her comfort or safety. She didn't trust these men, not any of them, they were all sleazy, manipulating, cold hearted, small little men.

She could see the way they all looked at her, like she was something that belonged to them now, that they had the right to put their hands on her. Well they didn't… they had no right to do anything to her, she'd done everything she was asked of, she didn't need any more torture.

She couldn't imagine what Punk was doing right now, no doubt crying alone in their bed with no one to hold. It was killing her, she knew he wouldn't be able to cope, not without her. She was scared, terrified and alone, as was he, only he was feeling a much lonelier pain, believing that she was dead and gone forever. She didn't know how Joe could be this cold, she knew he was bad but this was just a completely different level, this was something worth getting locked away for lifetime for doing.

_With Punk…_

After Punk got home Paige and Renee had volunteered to put the kids to bed, he was sat downstairs at the kitchen table, passing a cup of coffee to and throw from his left and right hand, his wedding ring clinking off the mug.

"How you holding up?" Dean asked, walking by Punk with his own cup of coffee, all of them still in their black suits, their top buttons undone and their ties slack, their shirts untucked, feeling like that was the only way they could breathe from this horrible day.

Punk just nodded, lifting the coffee to his mouth and drinking it, feeling it go all the way down, just lying deadly in his stomach like everything else in his body.

"We'll get through this." Dean said, not imagining how hard this was for Punk.

Seth nodded and sat down beside Dean, across from Punk, slackening his black tie away from his neck, "Yeah… we got through Claire, we'll get through this." Seth said, watching Punk look up slowly at him, his eyes almost red and burning through him.

"Don't you dare compare her to Claire. AJ was my wife!" Punk yelled, watching them both jumped as he yelled.

"I know she was. I'm just saying…" Seth said.

"Well don't just say." Punk gritted his teeth.

"I know you're hurting, but don't take this out on me." Seth said, looking across at Punk, "Look who you've got Punk? You have no one if you don't have us." Seth said.

"Watch it man." Dean said to Seth, really wondering why Punk and Seth were getting so angry with each other as of late.

"I have lost my wife. My children have lost their mother and you're comparing her to some stupid little fling you had years ago." Punk said.

"I don't care if your wife is dead, that doesn't give you an excuse to act like a dick towards us." Seth stood up and pointed to Punk, watching Punk stand up and slap his finger away.

"Just like you didn't care when you slept with her." Punk said, his eyes popping out of his head.

Dean just looked up at Seth, holding the back of his neck with both hands, standing up, feeling overshadowed by both Punk and Dean, "What?" Dean looked at Seth.

"Go on…" Punk said, "Tell him." He nodded over to Dean while looking at Seth.

"You're going to end up with no one." Seth said, "I came here to say goodbye to a friend, to pay my respects to someone I loved, someone I held hands with while she gave birth to your children, someone who I walked down the aisle to marry you, someone who… yeah, I slept with as a mistake and yeah… someone who I maybe loved a little more than just a friend." Seth said.

"You have three seconds to get out of my house." Punk said.

Dean had lost the will to live, not having a clue what they were both going on about, leaning over the table and banging his head off it.

Seth just grabbed his jacket, "I'm going." Seth said, storming out of the room and out of the house completely.

"What was that?" Dean muffled against the kitchen table, his cheek pressed it against it as he stayed sprawled across on it, not being able to take this anymore.

"Was it just me… or did he say…"

"That he loved AJ more than a friend?" Dean asked Punk, still lying across the table, tears falling down on the table without any emotion, his head pounding, fed up with his friends fighting, still upset over AJ and the full situation, "Yeah, he did." Dean said.

"This is where we are going to all break apart." Dean said, finally leaning up off the table and looking at Punk, "Who always convinced us three to sort things out when we had fuck ups?" Dean said, looking at Punk with tired eyes, looking over Punks shoulder at the picture of him and AJ on the fridge, along with some drawings the kids had made.

"AJ." Punk said.

"Where is she now?" Dean threw his hands up in the air, tears streaming out his eyes as he walked away from Punk, all three boys in separate parts of the house, completely falling apart bit by bit.

Seth sat outside on the front steps, running his hands through his hair, realising he had said too much and all to the wrong people. But none of what he said changed anything, AJ wasn't here anymore, she would never really know how he felt about her.

Dean lay in the middle of the living room, on his back, looking up at the ceiling with his hands resting on his chest, humming to himself a song that him and AJ always danced to at parties and gatherings, it was their little thing from day one. He hated bad situations like this, it brought him down to his lowest of points.

Punk stood in the kitchen, missing AJ, missing her smile, knowing he would never see it again. It was all just too much. He couldn't do this without her, he would never sleep again, he couldn't go on, he just couldn't.

**Oop Seth.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey…" Punk said, walking outside where Seth sat, taking a seat beside him on the front steps, looking out into the dark night, finally the horrible day was closing in.

"Hi." Seth said, sitting leaning his elbows on his knees, just reflecting back on everything.

"I'm sorry." Punk said, "I didn't mean to snap at you, I just… this is hard, I know you understand how it feels, what I was trying to say was, AJ was my wife, she wasn't just my girlfriend, she had children that will never get to see her again, I'm never going to see her again… that's what scares me. I don't think I can do this." He turned to Seth.

"Don't doubt yourself. Be strong for the kids. She'll be proud of you for getting this far without having a breakdown." Seth said.

"Back there… you said you loved her more than a friend…what does that mean?" Punk asked, knowing fine well what it meant, just wanting Seth to explain.

"I don't know what I meant. I just cared about her, that's all. I know you don't want to hear this but… when I slept with her, it was different, a good different… I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Paige, Paige is the one I want to spent my life with…" Seth just shook his head, not realising he was dragging on, "I'm just going to miss her, a lot." He said.

"So am I." Punk agreed, rubbing his hands over his face.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Seth asked, not knowing if this would help, or make things worse.

"She said goodbye to me when I went to work." Punk smiled, remembering the image, "The kids were in her arms… her smile was so big." Punk said, "Say goodbye to daddy…" Punk muttered the last words he heard AJ spoke before she died.

"At least you have her three months of happiness over here before she died." Seth said.

Punk just nodded, biting his lip as he clasped his hands, looking on into the street, "We were meant to be forever… what am I meant to do now, Seth?" Punk asked with a lump in his throat, putting his hands up in confusion as he looked at Seth.

"Things will get better." Seth said, patting Punk on the back as he watched him hang his head down, his shoulders shaking as the waterworks started again, finding it hard to watch his friend so upset.

_The next morning…_

Seth had taken a shower first before anyone got up, washing away all the tragedy from these past few days, soaking in his own sadness.

When he stepped out of the shower, slinging a towel around his waist, brushing his teeth along with deodorising and shaving at his beard a little, he noticed something odd on the towel he was standing on, stepping back and crouching down, looking at the crimson stain on the white fabric.

He stood up straight with the towel in his hands, walking out of the bathroom into the quiet hall, heading straight into Punks room where he was lying outside of the covers in his boxers, staring up at the ceiling.

"Dude…" Punk said, turning his head to see Seth standing half naked and dripping wet in his room.

"Where was it that AJ slipped?" Seth asked Punk, clenching the towel in his hand.

"Outside." Punk said, "Why?"

"There's blood on this towel that was in the bathroom." Seth said, showing Punk the towel, watching him sit up from lying down and take the towel from him, studying it with his piercing green eyes.

_With AJ…_

AJ never thought she could say that she'd be back in Chicago anytime soon, but here she was. The flight was agonisingly painful, knowing that her family and friends were all here grieving over her while she disappeared, well and truly alive.

She hated these men, every single one of them. She was like the new toy at Christmas that everyone wanted to touch and play with and it sickened her. She was married. Yes, she may have been parted from Punk, but they were still married. These men had no right to even look at her.

After the flight that felt like a whole year's worth of being up in the sky, they finally drove back to where she assumed she would be staying from now on. It was big, looked like a hotel, but it looked cold and dark, only room for evil inside. She was so scared and frightened, she just wanted to scream and hope that Punk would hear her all the way from Puerto Rico.

"Alright April… here's your room." Joe said, opening the door wide and revealing a rather fancy, large room for AJ.

AJ just walked in slowly, looking around the room that was painfully large, but not large enough to keep her fears in. The bed was huge, the window was huge which she seen was one of those windows that couldn't be opened.

What was she meant to say to him? Thank you, this is nice. Of course she wasn't. She was still studying the room when she noticed the wardrobe had men's clothes hung up in it.

"Is this someone else's room?" AJ asked, hugging her arms in confusion.

"Yes. Mine. We'll be sharing." Joe smiled, "I'll see you at dinner." Joe smiled deviously watching AJ gasp, closing the door over and locking it.

AJ stood in the room with her hand over her mouth, looking around the room, her whole body shaking. She couldn't do this, not now, not ever. Why was she continuing to get punished after she had helped him get what he wished? Why was this happening to her? Why her?

_With Punk…_

"We should call Richie." Seth said, speaking of one of their friends from back in the gang who was in charge of the forensics side of things, he managed to escape the gang and continue working in forensics. Seth still had his phone number, he was a genius when it came to stuff like that.

"Why would we call Richie? It's clearly blood. Maybe the paramedics used it, I wasn't paying attention to them when they were looking at AJ…" Punk shrugged.

"I don't know, Punk… Something smells like Joe." He said.

"When does Joe ever lie? Plus it all makes sense. AJ would have been terrified if Joe came into the house, it's quite clear that she tried to run while she could." Punk said.

"And leave the kids? That isn't AJ. AJ wouldn't leave her kids in a house with Joe. Stop telling yourself that and switch your brain on. Don't you want justice for your wife's death? Something is telling me she didn't slip, Punk." Seth shook his head

"The bottom line is she's dead… I held her, in my arms… her body was stone cold, she wasn't breathing, and her pulse was gone. She was dead, alright… now just drop it and leave me alone." Punk said, really finding it hard to keep his cool with Seth these days.

Seth just grabbed the towel back from Punk, staring at the blood on the towel, just wonder how it got miraculously from downstairs to upstairs without anyone noticing there was blood on it.

Punk sat down on the bed again, immediately looking up to the ceiling, "Jesus Seth, cover up man. Get out." Punk said, seeing far too much through Seth's towel.

"Sorry." Seth said, fixing his towel.

"It's fine…" Punk laughed a little, not having laughed since AJ was here, "But seriously, get out of my room." Punk pointed to the door, watching Seth nod and head out of the room.

Punk lay back down in bed, thinking to himself at what Seth was saying. Was he being gullible to believe that Joe really had nothing to do with AJ's death? Or was Seth just being paranoid and not thinking? Probably a little bit of both. He just wanted this whole thing to be put to bed, he needed to figure out a way to keep his head up and continue being a father without his wife beside him. His children needed him more than ever now that they had lost their mother. If he let down his kids too, he might as well just give up completely.

_With AJ…_

AJ had been forced to wear such a tight dress to dinner, feeling so embarrassed and ashamed, not being able to look anyone in the eye. It seemed like there was some sort of party going on. She didn't know how she felt about being surrounded by some of the worst men in Chicago, maybe even in the world. She stayed quietly in the corner, praying that no one would notice her.

She was surprised at how many women were here, accompanying Joe's workers which she didn't think would have girlfriends or wives by the way they always looked at her. She just wanted this night to be over, but then… at the end of the night, she knew what was coming, she knew how strong she had to be, she wasn't prepared, she would never be, but she was going to be strong, she promised herself. She promised Punk and her children she would be strong and get back to them.

"You're April, right?" A man came up to AJ, of course Dan who was Punks former boss.

"Yeah." AJ said, quietly, looking at the decent man with his girlfriend or wife beside him.

"For what it's worth… I'm sorry. But between me and you, Punk's smart. Just hang in there." Dan said, smiling to the poor girl and walking away.

AJ didn't know what that was meant to mean, but she smiled nevertheless, probably the only decent man in the room tonight with an equally as decent girlfriend. All the rest of the girls looked like prostitutes picked up from the street. She was ashamed to be anywhere near these people and their way of life.

The night spiralled on and after a few hours of standing still in the corner of the room, the dinner party was finished and people were leaving one after the other, which only told her that things were about to get much worse.

"April…" Joe made his way over to AJ, alcohol in his breath, looking AJ up and down, "How did you enjoy tonight?" Joe asked, stroking her hair down to her shoulder, stroking her arms up and down as she shivered.

"It was ok." AJ mumbled, having felt like she had been imprisoned the full night, not dealing well with Joe touching her arms, she knew this only the beginning though.

"Well it's about go get much more interesting." Joe smiled, "I want you to go upstairs. I'll be there in a minute." Joe whispered down her neck, feeling goose bumps appear on her arms when he done so.

AJ just walked away quickly, her arms folded as she trailed up the spiralled staircase, her heart racing, she was terrified, more than terrified, she felt like she was being punished for punishing her husband like this. She just wanted to be with Punk so much, she wanted to be in his arms right now at this moment, but instead she was about to let some scum have what he wanted while Punk was probably alone in their bed, beside himself on what to do now his wife was gone.

AJ walked into the room, already feeling extremely intoxicated, struggling to get a breath.

She wasn't alone for long. Joe walked in almost right behind her, closing the door over.

"I was going to get champagne, but I know you don't drink." Joe said, hovering his way over to her, pressing her up against the wall gently, glad that she wasn't putting up a fight.

AJ didn't see the point in trying to fight back, he'd already won, she just couldn't believe this was happening, he was physically touching her and putting his hands on her where she only wanted Punk to.

"Maybe after this, you'll realise there is more out there for a beautiful girl like you than Phil Brooks." Joe said, whispering in her ear.

AJ felt him start kissing her neck, her lifeless body pressed up against the wall as she felt his hand go up her dress. She may have well been dead, at least she wouldn't have had to go through this disgusting pain.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

_The next morning…_

"Richie… yeah, it's Seth… Seth Rollins…" Seth said, his phone pressed to his ear, standing at the kitchen window, looking out at Dean and Renee playing with the kids, Paige standing by watching with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm good." Seth nodded, "I need you to do me a favour, how would you feel about making a trip down to Puerto Rico, bring your gear with you… yeah, I'll pay for your flights… good… right, see you soon." Seth said, putting his phone in his pocket.

"Have the kids had their breakfast?" Punk asked, walking into the kitchen, in sweats and a band t-shirt.

"Yeah. Dean sorted them this morning. They're outside playing." Seth smiled, acting like he hadnt phoned Richie, keeping this to himself, understanding that Punk just wanted to drop the situation and didn't want to think anymore about his wife's death.

"Good…" Punk nodded, watching Sam run in the back door.

"Daddy… daddy…" She tugged his sweat pants, getting his attention.

"What is it princess?" Punk asked, crouching down to his daughter.

"Can I go speak to mommy?" She asked with a hopeful smile, watching her fathers smile drop, "I drew her a picture." Sam said, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

Punk just nodded, "Yeah… let me get my jacket on." He said, planting a kiss on her head.

Punk stood up straight, turning to Seth and watching him smile sympathetically down at Sam. This was just not fair, Charlie and Sam didn't deserve this, they needed their mother, they needed her so much.

Punk asked Charlie if he wanted to tag along, but he was only interested in seeing his mother, he didn't want to go talk to the grass to get no reply, he wanted his mother live and in living colour in front of him, and that was what upset him.

Punk still took Sam however, getting her in the car and driving to the cemetery, parking outside and helping her out of the car, carrying her in his arms to the grave, looking at Sam hold on to her drawing tightly.

"There we go." Punk said, letting Sam down on her feet, crouching down beside her and putting his arm around her small waist, watching her look on at the headstone.

"I drew you a picture, mommy." Sam smiled, waving the drawing in the air as if showing someone, knowing her mother wouldn't reply, her father had already explained that she couldn't see or hear her mother anymore, but her mother would be listening to her when she came here.

Punk just looked down at the ground, his eyes shutting over, blinking tears out as he looked back up and smiled at Sam.

"I miss you." Sam muttered, "Want to see you." She jumped up and down in a huff, getting frustrated that she wasn't getting any reply.

"I want to see her too." Punk whispered, watching Sam look at him, seeing her pout with sadness, watching a tear fall down her father's cheek, never seeing him cry before.

She took her small hand and wiped the tear away on his cheek, smiling to him and raising her hands up, wanting to be picked up.

Punk just smiled, always counting on his children to make the pain go away. He picked Sam up in his arms, leaving the cemetery as she continued to make him smile with her cute little nature and stories she was telling. If he didn't have his children, he really would be lost.

_With AJ…_

AJ had spent the full morning in the shower, washing away all her skins, scrubbing her neck and body until her skin was going red, not leaving the shower until she felt completely clean, knowing she never could after last night, after what she was forced into.

She could still feel his snaky skin crawling all over her, feeling him touch her, whispering incredibly crude words in her ear. She didn't know if this was just a one-time thing but she prayed and begged that it was, she couldn't go through that again, just lying there without any emotion apart from fear, letting him win and have his fun while she wished she could just die instantly.

She got out of the shower, immediately putting her clothes on after she violently dried herself quickly, knowing that if she went into the room with just a towel around her, it would just provoke him.

She exited the bathroom, not really knowing what she was supposed to do during the day. She looked over at him, putting his trousers on and getting ready, a sick smile on his face.

"April, did I say you could shower?" Joe looked over to her, watching her timidly hug her arms and hide her face.

"I just…"

"I'm kidding." Joe laughed at her, walking over to her, "I definitely know why Phil married you now. Same time again tonight." He flicked his smirk at her, walking by her and out of the door.

AJ just gasped, putting her hand to her chest as she leaned against the wall, not being able to deal with knowing she'd have to go through all of this again, having him pasted all over her, ignoring her small whispers for him to stop. She couldn't keep doing this, she barely got through doing it once, this couldn't turn into a regular thing, she would slowly but surely loose herself or possibly smash the window and jump out, one of the two.

She just wanted Phil.

_Later that night…_

Seth had told everyone that he was headed out to pick up dinner. Everyone had been living on take outs for the past few days from the lack of energy and effort to cook something, apart from the kids who were getting cooked meals from the kitchen.

Seth had called Paige up who was back at the house with everyone, telling her he would be about an hour, that the Chinese take-out shop was really busy and that there was nowhere else opened.

He headed to the hotel he was meeting Richie in, finding him sitting in the corner of the lounge, everything set up.

Seth walked towards him with the towel in his hands, taking a seat and greeting his former friend.

"Alright… so what is it?" Richie asked, having not being explained to yet why Seth wanted him to meet him.

"My buddy's girl died a few days ago, we were told she tripped and fell outside from running away from Joe and his crew, but I found this, upstairs in the bathroom…" Seth handed him the towel with the blood on it.

"So…" Richie looked at Seth in confusion.

"Whose blood is it?" Seth pointed to the machines and swabs "Do your magic." Seth said.

"Well wouldn't it be obvious it's hers?" Richie said in confusion.

"Just pelase…" Seth looked at Richie, "Just do it." He said.

Richie just nodded and began to do what he done best, swabbing the towel and running things through his machines as Seth sat across, his legs shaking, biting his nails as he watched Richie look confused.

"What? What?" Seth said suddenly.

"It has no DNA on it." Richie said after a while of checking everything possible to find out whose blood it was, "This isn't blood." Richie said, looking at Seth with confusion.

"What do you mean? Of course it is…" Seth said, watching Richie smell the stain.

"Smells like paint." Richie said, looking at Seth, not really understanding this, just like Seth didn't either.

"Paint?!" Seth shrieked, "Don't be so stupid." Seth rolled his eyes, "Check again."

"Seth, this is paint… just, let me…" Richie paused, "An April Jeanette Brooks's fingerprints are all over the towel." Richie said, looking at Seth, hoping that would help him in anyway.

"Her fingerprints are… why is it paint…" Seth muttered a thousand questions to himself, not understanding anything.

"Is there any other stains around the house with this type of colour on it?" Richie asked Seth, wondering if there was any other way he could help, not really getting to the bottom of this.

"There was a stain on the living room carpet where she was bleeding from her ear… I think Punk washed it off." Seth sighed.

"Well go home, try find a stain like this one, take a swab of it with this…" Richie handed him a piece of cotton wool attached to a stick, well that's what it looked like, "Get it back to me and I'll see if it matches." Richie said.

"Right…" Seth nodded, leaving the hotel with such confusion in him. He knew Punk and AJ hadn't been painting, and if they were, they weren't using red paint.

He got home later that night with food for everyone, taking his chance while everyone was out in the kitchen and studying the carpet, managing to spot the tiniest patch of what he thought was blood. He quickly swabbed it and put the sample in a plastic bag, shooting right back out of the house.

"Where the hell is he off to?" Renee asked hearing Seth leave out the door.

Seth got back to Richie with the swab, wanting to get to the bottom of this immediately, handing him over the swab from the carpet, watching Richie put his glasses on and study things under microscopes, typing into his computer, swiping machines. Doing things Seth didn't understand but was intrigued to watch by.

"It's a match." Richie said, "You say this was taken from where she was bleeding?" Richie asked.

"Yeah." Seth nodded.

"She wasn't bleeding then. These are two identical matches are of red costume paint, priced at 7.99 at Walmart, 10.99 at target … is this a joke or something?" Richie said, really not understanding what this was about.

Seth just fell back in his chair, putting his hands on his head as he looked in such confusion, such mystery. What on earth?

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

"Paint…" Seth continued to mumble as he walked into the house, hearing quiet chatter from his friends in the living room, bursting through the door, watching them all turn around and face him.

"Where have you been?" Paige asked him.

"Paint…" Seth said, "It was paint…"

Punk, who was sat back on the couch, half sleeping, sat up and leaned his elbows on his thighs, sighing as he looked at Seth.

"What you on about?" Dean asked, his arm around Renee, holding her in close, sitting on the couch next to Punk.

"It was paint… on the floor… the towel… she wasn't bleeding." Seth said, walking by them all into the kitchen, looking for a notepad and pen.

Punk just ran his hands through his hair and stood up, watching Seth come back into the living room.

"What are you talking about?" Punk asked him with a painful expression.

"I took the towel to Richie, there was no DNA but her fingerprints were all over the towel, and then here…" Seth walked over and pointed to the path of faded blood, or paint now, "This matched with the stain on the towel, both coming up as costume paint. Dude, she wasn't bleeding…" Seth shook his head.

"You couldn't just let it go, could you." Punk shook his head as Paige just looked at her boyfriend with sympathy, this had all went to his brain.

"You have to believe me. This all… this all makes sense…" Seth said, writing things down on his notepad as Punk just buried his hands in his head and let out a loud growl.

"Nothing you are saying is making sense." Punk threw his hands up in the air, really wishing that Seth would let all of this go.

"Isn't it obvious? AJ wouldn't run out of the house and leave the kids, Joe came here, got her out cold and faked her death!" Seth yelled.

Dean just looked at Renee and sighed, "Seth, maybe you should go lie down." He suggested.

"It all makes sense, why else would Joe be here? Why would he come to the funeral? Why would he be so sincere? WHY WOULD HE COMFIRM THE BODY?!" He yelled at them all.

"Dude, stop yelling." Dean rolled his eyes, already having a constant sore head.

Punk just stood looking at Seth, his brain officially finished with working. He was fed up with this, but yet… Seth made some excellent points, but then again… it also made sense for AJ to have tripped and hit her head.

"You have to believe me." Seth said, looking at Punk, begging him to believe him, he had this all worked out, every single bit.

"S-She… she was dead… I held her…" Punk said, holding thin air as he showed them, "She was dead… how…" He shook his head.

"You two are fucking insane." Dean grunted, shaking his head at Seth and his erratic behaviour, more shocked at Punk believing him.

"Don't you see… AJ isn't dead." Seth shook his head, "She's out there… this… we've been set up." Seth said, "AJ is alive." Seth said, immediately feeling Dean tug his arm out into the kitchen.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Dean yelled but quietly, "Stop fucking his brain up and let him move on." Dean said.

"She isn't dead." Seth said, "I know this sounds crazy, but I've worked it all out." Seth said.

"Then who the fuck did we bury six foot under?"

_An Hour Later…_

"I can't believe you're making me do this." Dean shivered, walking down the graveyard in the middle of Punk and Seth.

Punk hadn't spoken since Seth pointed out some really interesting factors, as well as trying to get him to believe that this was all a set up. He had no words, he didn't know what to say or do.

"We do this and we do it professionally, ok?" Seth looked at them both, three shovels in his hand.

"And what if it is AJ?" Dean said, watching Punk look up, "I'm sorry but I am not about to dig up her grave just because you think you are Albert Einstein all of a sudden." Dean said, refusing to go through with this.

"AJ is alive." Seth said.

"Both of you just cut it out." Punk said, pausing and holding them back as they reached the grave, "Seth…" Punk put his hands on Seth's shoulders, "Are you one hundred percent sure that you know what you're talking about. If I dig this grave up, if you open this casket and she's…" Punk bit his tongue, "If she's in it… I will never speak to you again." Punk warned him, "Are you sure you know what you're talking about?" Punk asked, really believing Seth knew what he was talking about, he just had his doubts.

"I am positive. AJ is not dead." Seth said, handing him a shovel, passing Dean one who just grunted, all of them shovelling away into the dark night, taking almost hours, finally getting a clear space to see the casket which still haunted Punk.

"I swear, Jesus is looking down on us right now." Dean said, looking up at the sky in fear, getting a glare from Punk.

"Alright…" Seth said, wrapping a piece of rope around him, giving the other end to Punk for him to lower him down the hole to the bottom where the casket lay. This wasn't particularly something he thought he would have to do.

Punks heart was beating rapidly, the possibility of his wife not being dead, the possibility of her actually walking around somewhere, breathing, alive. Such a rush of joy overcame him, but he hid it, not wanting to build his hopes up in the case of opening the casket and finding her lying in it.

"I can't look." Dean said, turning his back as Punk looked down, watching Seth grab the edge of the casket, slowly opening it with all his strength, looking inside it.

"Someone say something." Dean said, "She's in it, isn't she… Oh god." Dean looked up trying not to cry, ready to kill Seth when he came back up from the ground.

"She's… she's not." Punk said, looking down at the empty casket which Seth revealed with a smile, knowing he was right all along. From the very moment that Punk mentioned Joe, he knew this wasn't right.

"Pull me back up." Seth said as Punk began to pull him back up from the ground, helping him to his feet.

"She's not dead…" Punk said, from one extreme to the other. From not believing that she was really gone, to not believing she was really alive.

Dean just looked from Punk to Seth with such a large smile, at that moment he didn't care where AJ was, he was just glad she wasn't dead and buried six foot under.

"Where can she be?" Dean asked them both.

"I think you both know." Seth said, looking to them both with a nod.

Punk was just so glad. He had got a second chance, this was all just some sick plan all along that had Joe written all over it and a willing AJ who wanted to keep her husband and children alive. It did all make sense now, he couldn't thank Seth enough for shining the light down. He was going to get his wife back, he never thought he could say that ever again, but it was true. He was going to get his wife back and his children were going to get their mother back.

Before leaving the cemetery, Punk to a large boulder from the grass and threw it at the headstone with every little piece of anger he had for Joe, watching the headstone with AJ's name on it smash into smithereens. She wasn't dead. She was alive.

_With AJ…_

"Why are you doing this?" AJ asked, sitting up in bed, holding the sheets to her body, feeling Joe snake his hand down her bare back.

"What? I'm not allowed to have some fun of my own? This is your reward for helping me." Joe laughed.

"I'd rather have just done it for free." AJ said, feeling him pull her back down to the bed.

"Tell me April, have you ever tried illegal substances?" Joe asked, looking at AJ practically hang off the edge of the bed away from him, completely bare under the sheets, appealing to his eyes.

"No." AJ shook her head.

"Try them for me." He smiled, lifting a needle from the bedside drawer, "It'll make you feel real good." He said.

"I'd rather not." AJ said, holding her thoughts in as she felt Joe grab her arm suddenly.

"It wasn't a request." Joe said, holding her fighting arm out and pointing the needle right at her vein.

"Please… stop it…" AJ said, trying to fight his grip when it was too late, he'd already stuck the needle right in and pushed out the injection, filling her with the poison him and all his men lived on.

"There…" Joe smiled, "Not so bad is it?" He said, looking at AJ stop the fight for her arm, her whole body dropping lifeless on the bed, giving him access to do whatever he pleased with her.

AJ just groaned a little, physically feeling the high circulating her bloodstream, her head pounding one minute and then relaxing the next. She felt so many different feelings and it funnily enough shadowed all the pain of missing Punk and what she had done.

AJ just felt herself lose all control, lose all will power to understand what was going on, feeling Joe rip the sheet from her body and smirk.

She was open and bare yet again, however… this time she didn't care, she couldn't find any feelings inside her to care, everything in her mind-set was just all starry and good. She even swore she moaned a little when she felt Joe touch her.

This man was destroying her bit by bit, tearing away everything from her and continuing to punish her in the sickest of ways. First violently sleeping with her every night, next injecting drugs, she didn't even want to think about what was next. She just hoped that the man from the party who told her that Punk was smart was right. She really needed Punk right now, more than ever.

**They're finally getting to the bottom of it! All hail Seth Rollins.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

"So what do we do?" Dean said on the drive back to the house.

"How could I have been so stupid?" Punk said, hitting the steering wheel as he went off the road a bit, his hands wrapping around the steering wheel tightly not even imagining how scared AJ was right now.

"We go see Joe." Seth said, "She'll be there." Seth said.

"Thank you." Punk said in direction to Seth, "Thank you so much." Punk said.

"Don't mention it. Just trust me more in future." He said. He knew something wasn't right from the moment Punk explained how AJ had supposedly died.

As soon as the boys got home they told the girls what was going on, both of them nearly passing out with shock. Everyone was so confused yet it made sense to every single one of them.

"I need you guys to look after the kids…" Punk said, on his hands on knees, pulling out a box from under the couch, throwing a gun each to Seth and Dean, storing one in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Where are you all going?" Paige asked.

"Chicago. To get AJ." Punk said. He never thought he would ever get the chance to say he was picking AJ up from anywhere, but he knew this would be more than just picking her up.

"How long will you be gone for?" Renee asked, so overwhelmed to know her best friend really wasn't dead.

"A few days. Don't worry." Dean said, reaching over and kissing her head.

"You ready?" Punk said, looking at both Seth and Dean nodding, all of them heading out to the hallway.

"Tell the kids that I'm away to get their mother." Punk said, walking out the door and getting into the car, Dean and Seth behind him.

Renee and Paige watched as they carelessly pulled out of the drive, speeding off for the airport.

Their married and father heads weren't on, their loving boyfriend and sweet friend act wasn't showing, they were careless, violent men in hunt for AJ, relentless to anyone who stepped in their way. Punk seen this as him getting a second chance, he wasn't going to fuck it up, he'd had a taster of what it was like to lose AJ, how it felt to feel like he was burying her, telling his kids she was gone, he didn't want that permanently. He wanted his wife back by his side again, forever.

_The next morning…_

AJ woke up to the room spinning, alone in this disgusting bed, the inside of her arm bruised and sore, the first time forgetting everything that happened the night before, normally remembering every little detail. Maybe he didn't touch her last night. She just couldn't remember.

She swung her legs around the side of the bed, about to stand up and hold the sheets to her body when the pain in her arm stopped her.

She looked at her arm, looking at the small red dot on the inside of her arm, right where her vein ran through.

He had drugged her. He had injected some sort of poison into her veins so she would black out and not remember anything, so she would relax while he used her body for his own pleasure. She'd never touched a drug or drink in her life and here she was with drugs probably still running through her veins.

She sobbed as she held her hand over the mark, crying into herself as she wished her life away. Really wondering if she could keep this up any longer. It had only been a week and she was already aching for Punk, inside and out.

She stood up and went for a shower, yet again scrubbing every little sin and mark that Joe had made on her, scrubbing until her skin was red, especially around where the needle had been injected. She couldn't remember last night, but she could tell he had clearly drugged her to stop her from crying or trying to fight back.

Her eyes fell onto the bleach behind the toilet seat as she stood in the shower, immediately grabbing for it and pouring it onto her hand, feeling it already start to burn which was exactly what she wanted.

She rubbed the toxic liquid all over her neck where he had spent time at, burning herself with the liquid but not caring, continuing to scrub and scrub, just wanting to feel clean again. She sank down onto the floor of the shower, hugging her knees as the water sprayed down on her, running away down the plug hole, along with her tears. She couldn't continue doing this, she'd rather be dead. She would officially rather be dead.

She stood up and dried herself, putting on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, creeping out of the door to see Joe standing across from her. He was just there.

"April, you can't keep using up all our hot water like this." Joe said.

"S-Sorry." AJ said.

She hadn't seen daylight in what felt like a year, she was never out of this damn room that she would sure have nightmares about for the rest of her life.

"How did you enjoy last night?" Joe asked her, walking towards her as she stayed still.

AJ just nodded, she wasn't answering, because if she did, she would say all the wrong stuff.

"Well say no more, I have a spare 15 minutes before I have to leave the house." Joe smiled, grabbing her by the waist as she refused to move.

"No!" She shouted, pushing him away, "Please… just stop doing this." She said, almost begging.

"Oh…" Joe said, "Looks like someone is getting a little cranky." Joe said, walking round to the bedside drawer again and collected a needle without AJ noticing, hiding it behind his back as he walked back towards her.

"Please, just stop, I'm begging you." AJ cried, she couldn't take it anymore.

"You can tell me to stop, April. But I never will." He said, pressing her violently against the wall, taking the needle from behind his back, watching AJ's eyes pop open.

"No!" She screamed…"Please…" She cried, "Stop it… Please…" AJ begged and screamed, feeling Joe inject yet another dose of drugs into her veins, creating a different mark on her other arm.

He quickly threw the used needle again and smiled as he watched AJ's words start to slur and her eyes roll back in her head.

"That's a girl." He smiled, pulling her jeans down for access, undoing the fly of his trousers and doing the unthinkable for yet another time this week, holding AJ by the wrists up against the wall as he watched her little eyes roll back and forth in their sockets.

"Please…" AJ muttered, her head falling down on to his shoulder as he pushed it back up, hitting it carelessly against the wall.

"Please what?" Joe questioned.

"Please…" AJ whispered, seeing stars around the room, her head spinning again as she lost all self-control, not knowing what was going on.

"Say my name, bitch." Joe spat as he continued to slam himself into her, holding her legs up around him while he done so.

"Ph… Phil…" AJ mumbled, her head to the side as she closed her eyes on and off, completely unaware of what Joe was doing to her just like last night.

"Wrong name." Joe said, wrapping his hand around her neck as he continued to sexually abuse her, scarring her for all eternity.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Boss…" The door knocked as Joe stopped what he was doing, looking at AJ who still had her eyes open but who was turning her head from side to side, her eyes hazy as she seen nothing, everything rushing to her head.

"Just a minute." Joe grunted, pulling his fly up and fixing AJ, dropping her from against the wall as she slid down, hitting her head on the ground as she continued to stay awake, so far from on planet earth however.

"Come in!" Joe said, standing as one of his workers came in.

"They're here." The man said.

"What?" Joe said, "Who?"

"Brooks, Rollins, Ambrose. They're here." His worker said.

Joe just put his hand over his mouth, looking round at AJ lying on the ground, the button of her jeans not done, the jeans barely on her, her arm bleeding from the injection of drugs, her hair pulled and messy, her eyes rolling around as she mumbled to herself, the drugs in full affect as she could only hear ringing in her ears and see stars in her eyes, her body numb and cold.

"Prepare yourself. Round up everyone, we need to make sure she is out of sight." Joe said.

"Yes boss." The worker said, walking out of the room as Joe went over to AJ and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up and carrying her out of the room, not expecting his plan to have come to a close this sudden.

**The boys are here. Praying that they find AJ in time. Thanks for the REVIEWS, keep them coming!**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

Punk was a red hot mess, Dean and Seth weren't even getting a chance to attack, Punk was taking care of everything, they'd already took out half the guys outside around the house on guard. They knew how to do this, they had four years of experience, and they knew every little plan of Joe's.

"You two stick together, try and find Joe. I'll look for AJ." Punk said as Seth and Dean gave Punk a hand with climbing in the window, letting Punk stand on their hands and smash the window in, jumping in and looking around first, in the case of someone being in the room.

"It's clear." Punk said as he stuck his head out the smashed window, looking down at Seth and Dean who nodded.

"We'll get in a different way." Dean looked up at Punk, "Keep your head up." He said, pushing Seth in signal for them to make their move, trying to find a different part of the house to go into.

Punk took the gun from the back pocket of his jeans, walking towards the door when he was drawn in by the look of the room.

He put his gun down by his side and walked over to the messy bed, studying it, waving the sheets back and forth, picking up a few strands of hair that was identical to AJ's. She really was alive.

He then looked further and seen speckles of blood on the sheets, dried in.

He pointed his gun back up in front of him and headed for the door, turning the handle slowly and looking down the clear halls. He looked for signs, anything that would guide him to where AJ was.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned immediately with his gun pointing to whoever it was.

"Hey, it's me." Dan put his hands in the air.

"Where is she?" Punk growled, grabbing Dan by the collar and pushing him against the wall, holding the gun at his head, looking at him with venom.

"I'm on your side." Dan said, "I know where she is." Dan said, feeling Punk let go of the grip on his collar.

"Where is she?" Punk asked again.

"She's down at the basement with Joe. You go down and get her… I'll keep upstairs quiet, Dean and Seth have downstairs covered." Dan said.

"Ok… Thanks." Punk mumbled, running downstairs, trying to keep quiet at the same time, running by Dean and Seth who were covered in blood but standing tall while they were surrounded by dead men on the ground.

"How do I get to the basement?" Punk asked them as he searched the downstairs area, looking in cupboards or for a secret door in the floor.

"Try the kitchen." Seth said, holding his neck that seemed to have a kink in it.

"Do you want us to come?" Dean asked, holding his nose with blood leaking from it, pretty much having took out all of Joe's men, with the help of Dan and with of course their skills in the fighting department.

The reason that Joe and Carl never wanted Dean, Punk or Seth to leave the gang was simply that, they were just too damn good.

"No, just one of you stay on guard, one of you go get the car and bring it to the door." Punk said, running into the kitchen and opening the side door which had stairs going down.

He shut the door behind him, pulling out his gun and slowly walking downstairs, looking for a light up above him, finally finding one and pulling the string, watching the basement light up as he seen AJ lying in the centre of the room, but she wasn't alone. Joe was standing over her, as well as having each of his men in each corner.

"You bastard." Punk growled, looking at Joe with equally as evil eyes.

"I knew you were smart." Joe nodded, "But I didn't think you were this smart." Joe admitted, watching Punk take off of the last step, walking slowly towards him, footsteps away from AJ.

He couldn't believe AJ was really there, he never thought he would get to see her again, breathing and alive.

"Look April…" Joe tapped AJ's side with his foot.

Punk watched as AJ just stirred on the ground, moaning softly with some sort of pain she was feeling, not aware that her husband was here to save her. The drugs were still flowing through her veins, she had no idea what was going on or where she was.

"April…" Joe crouched down to AJ and sat her up against him, not scared in the slightest by Punks gun pointing at him as he burnt holes through him.

"April… show Phil what you've been up to." Joe said, opening AJ's arms up, showing the insides to Punk where there was needle marks up and down both arms.

"You've been drugging my wife?!" Punk shrieked.

"Oh, I've been doing a lot with your wife." Joe said as AJ just smiled softly, her hair covering some of her face, her eyes rolling around.

Joe let go of her, letting her drop to the ground again as he stood up straight again.

"Step away from her." Punk said, pointing the gun directly at Joe.

Joe just smiled, backing away and letting Punk crouch down to AJ, rolling her over on her back as he looked in her eyes. He couldn't believe the state she was in, her jeans were undone, along with her t-shirt being ripped, her hair looked dreadfully pulled in all different directions, her body was cold and shivering, her eyes were rolling back and forth. He knew she didn't know he was here, but he wasn't leaving without her. It was painful to see her like this, but not as painful as thinking she had died.

"I thought she was dead… I told my kids they would never see their mother again." Punk spat, looking up at all of them, "Why would you do this?" He said.

"Because you left the country, Phil." Joe said, "You just left. I had to punish you in some way." He said.

"And faking my wives death was the only thing you could come up with? Why didn't you just take me? Leave my wife and kids alone… look… look what you've done to her." Punk said, looking down at AJ who was shaking.

"It was much more fun doing it this way." Joe said, "You know, she's a good girl… done everything she was asked. Keen." Joe smiled, "How does it feel Phil? Knowing while you were crying yourself to sleep at night, all alone… April was really here, in my bed, sucking my dick and riding me…" Joe laughed.

Punk jumped over AJ and speared Joe through the boxes that were behind him, "I'll fucking kill you… I'll kill you." Punk spat as he lay punches into Joe, feeling two powerful hands grab him and pull him tumbling back onto his neck as he felt his shoulder pop out of place.

There couldn't have been a better time for Dean and Seth to show up, which they did, having Punks back until the very end, splitting up and taking out the four men in the room while Joe still lay underneath the boxes.

Punk got to his feet, walking to the nearest wall and biting his tongue, slamming his out of place shoulder against it, "Fuck!" Punk yelled after every slam, finally feeling his shoulder go back into place, turning his attention back to the room where Dean and Seth were both fighting two guys each, getting weighed down by them due to their already made injuries from earlier.

Punk evened it out and shout two guys right in the head, watching them fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes, counting on Dean and Seth to get rid of the two remaining guys while he paid his attention back on Joe who had got up to his feet.

"Motherfucker…" Punk said, sending his knee into Joe's gut as Joe yelped out, doubling over in pain.

Punk grabbed him by the head and with all his strength, flung him all the way across the room, his body hitting off the end wall with a thud.

Dean and Seth had now officially taken out everyone in the room apart from Joe and AJ of course, who was still lying in the centre of the room, out her face on the drugs.

Joe rolled over and looked up, watching three guns pointing at him, Punk in the middle, Dean and Seth on either side as they hovered over him.

"Alright…" Joe laughed, coughing and spitting up some blood, "Go on… shoot me." He smiled, "At least I got to fuck your wife before I died, four times." He grinned to Punk as Punk pulled the trigger, a loud bang echoing through the room as he shot Joe just on the shoulder, wanting him to suffer the most unlikeliness of pain.

"Punk..." Dean said, nodding his head over to the boxes upon boxes of alcohol in the corner, he then dug into Joe's pocket while he lay on the ground, moaning and cursing while holding his shot shoulder, pulling out a lighter and flicking it in Punks face.

Punk just nodded with a smile, tearing into the packs of alcohol, telling Dean and Seth to make a head start while he got AJ out of the way.

He walked over and picked her up, walking over and laying her gently on the stairs, "I'm going to get you home, I promise sweetheart." He said, kissing her head and turning back to helping Dean and Seth cover the room in alcohol, still not believing that his wife was actually alive, she might have been abused and drugged, but she was alive and that was all that was important to him.

After they had decimated the room in alcohol, they picked Joe up and strapped him to a chair tightly in the centre of the room, making sure he was tied up good.

"Unlike me…" Punk stood in front of him, "I had friends and family to care about me when you left me to burn. You have no one, and you're going to die like that." Punk said, flicking the lighter on, a small flame glowing from the top as he put it in front of Joe's face.

"You'll not get away with this…" Joe gasped.

"I already have." Punk said, lowering the lighter to the ground as it caught on to the alcohol liquid, quickly leaving with Dean and Seth in front of him, picking AJ up from the stairs into his arms as he turned back and looked at Joe, the flames surrounding him.

"Brooks… Get back here!" Joe yelled, "This isn't over." He swore.

Punk just laughed, watching as the flames began to cover over Joe, hearing him shriek with pain as he followed Dean and Seth up the stairs with AJ in his arms, still not completely with it, not realising whose arms she was in, too doped up to realise.

All three of them walked through the house, stepping over the dead bodies that they had created, heading for the large door as the smell of smoke followed them.

Seth smiled to his left as he looked at AJ, well and truly alive, taking his hand and scratching her head gently in a friendly way, ever so glad to have her back.

They got outside into the car where Dan was standing on watch. Punk lay AJ in the back seat while Dean and Seth got in the front.

"Thanks man." Punk said, really truly thankful for Dan's help, he was always the decent one out of everyone.

"No, thank you… You've just killed my boss." Dan smiled, "Get her home safe." Dan said, patting Punk on the back.

Punk just nodded with a smile, getting into the back seat with AJ, lying her head on his lap as Dean immediately pulled away from the large house.

"It's alright, April… I have you… you're safe." He smiled, stroking her cheek as she fell asleep, hopefully the drugs starting to wear off.

He just couldn't believe he had gone from thinking she was dead forever, to having her in his arms again, alive and breathing. He was lucky, that was all. He would never let anything happen to her again. Never.

Now that Joe was out of view, she really didn't have to worry about anything, she was in his arms and that's where she always stated that she felt safe. He wasn't letting her go, never.

**Seth, Dean and Punk = Three man army.**

**Let's see how the aftermath of everything and AJ waking up goes in the next chapter!Seth, Dean and Punk = Three man army.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

Punk and the boys had checked into a hotel late on in the night, one right near the airport, planning to get on a flight straight away the next morning. Dean and Seth could tell AJ was on some sort of drug, Dean could especially tell. He'd dabbled in experimenting a few things before he met Seth and Punk, he could tell by the look on AJ's face, her eyes, the noises she was making, it all took him back.

Punk wasn't hesitant to ask Dean about it however.

"Dean, how long will this take to wear off?" Punk asked, still in the back seat of the car, AJ's head resting on his lap as she mumbled quietly to herself, her eyes closed as she turned and tossed in Punks arms.

"Depends when she was given them…" Dean said, "Do you know what it was she was given, you know… injected, sniffed, swallowed?" Dean asked.

"Injected." Punk said, looking at the inside of AJ's arms, little red dots where the needle had went in up the vein running down her arm.

"Injected drugs are usually more affective." Dean said, not exactly telling Punk what he wanted to hear, "How many times has she taken it?" He asked.

Punk looked at her arms, counting the few red dots on her arms, "5…" Punk said.

"That's not good man." Dean shook his head, "One of those things used to kill my body… you need to get her in bed, make her drink cranberry juice and make sure you wash her arms where the marks are." Dean said, pulling up into the hotel car park, finding a space.

"Cranberry juice?" Punk looked in at Dean in the driver seat.

"Helps clean out everything. I don't know. I used to drink it, it helped." Dean shrugged.

"Right…" Punk shook his head, getting out of the car and lifting AJ with him, shutting the car door over as they walked into the quiet hotel.

"You go sit over there… we'll get two rooms." Seth said, him and Dean walking up to reception as Punk sat down at the waiting are, holding AJ in his arms as she continued to sleep on and off, opening her eyes every now and then and not noticing who it was that was holding her, still completely out of it.

Punk hated to see her in so much pain, to know what Joe had been making her do, it was a knife in his heart, but he was just so glad he had her in his arms and that Joe was gone for good.

After getting the key to his room, he split up from Dean and Seth and got her into their room, throwing the key over on the table and getting her straight into bed, ordering a cranberry juice from downstairs like Dean said, washing AJ's arms while he waited on it.

She was completely out of it. He wasn't sure if he believed Joe when he told him what he had forced AJ to do whilst he thought she was dead, he didn't want to believe it. Just thinking of him all over AJ, it made his stomach turn inside itself.

After the juice had come, he got AJ to sit up, supporting her back as he lowered the glass to her lips, watching her drink a little and then refuse anymore.

He sat the glass down beside the bed and lay her back down, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking her cheek.

"I'm here, April." Punk said, "You don't have to be scared." He said, "I'm right here."

He lay in bed beside her, propping himself up on his elbow as he watched her sleep, refusing to sleep when she was like this, vulnerable and weak. He couldn't let her out of his sight anymore, the world was just too cruel.

She slept peacefully and still for the next few hours, Punk keeping a close watch on her with every breath she took, trying to think of anything besides what she had been put through, just imagining her feeling so cold and alone, so scared and terrified, he felt like he had let her down, like he was so gullible that he didn't even realise she was alive all this time. But he was here now, he's saved her like he always done and now that Joe was gone forever, she was safe, no one would lay their hands on her again, he would make sure of that.

He sat up quickly when he saw her start to move around, her eye lashes flickering as she began to open her eyes, looking around the room and turning her head to him, the drugs just about wore off, allowing her to realise who was watching over her.

"Ph-Phil…" She swallowed her body cold and sore from this past week of pain and torture.

"I'm here." Punk smiled as he watched her open her eyes and realise he was here, it being so good to see her awake and herself again.

AJ sat up and wrapped her arms around him, not really believing he was here, he had done it again, saved her from the evil world, aka Joe.

"You're ok, you're safe now." Punk rubbed her back in circular notions, hearing her sob into him, such violent and painful sobs of aches and misery.

AJ felt like if she let go now, she'd be taken again, his warm body was enough to stop her heart from racing, the sight of his tattoos and the way she fit into him like usual, "I was so scared." AJ shivered, feeling him hold onto her tightly, "I'm so sorry I went along with it, he told me he would hurt you and the kids… I didn't think I had a choice, then he took me back here and he…"

"Shh…" Punk said, stroking the back of her head, feeling her hair still so soft against the palm of his hand, "It's alright. You don't need to explain anything." He said, she'd been through enough, he just wanted her to feel better and safe.

"I thought you weren't coming." AJ said, leaning into him, her arms still securely around him, having missed him terrible, even if it was only for a week, it was a painful, aching, heartbreaking week, for both of them.

Punk just kissed her head and leaned his chin gently down on her head, "I'm here." He said, "You don't have to be afraid anymore." Punk said, feeling her take a deep sigh and relax her body into him.

She had never been so relieved to be in his arms, all the drugs, the people, the unwanted sex, she couldn't have dealt with it anymore. She could always count on him to save her.

"Where is he? What if he's looking for me?" AJ looked up at him.

"He isn't." Punk looked down at her blood shot eyes, "He's dead… I killed him." He said, watching her sigh a relieved sigh and lean her head back against his chest, saying sweet prayers of thanks that she had been saved and rescued from Joe and his disgusting self.

_The next morning…_

After AJ and Punk got a few hours of sleep after Punk staying up with AJ holding on to him like it was the last time she would be able to hold him, they got up and got ready to go home. AJ couldn't wait to see her children, having missed them so much, missing waking up to their little smiles in the morning, or tickling them to get those adorable little giggles out of them.

She was greeted with a ton of hugs and kisses from Dean and Seth who were over the moon to see her, being a little too rough with her sore body, she didn't complain however, it was nice to have her friends and know they had her back just like Punk did.

On the flight back to Puerto Rico, Punk and AJ practically shared the same seat, AJ refused to let go of Punk whilst she was surrounded by other people, her week away had produced this anxiety inside her that she had never felt before, feeling like any minute she was going to wake up in that intoxicating room with Joe running his hands all over her body, injecting things into her veins.

"Promise me, you won't ever leave me again. Not even for a minute, not even to go to work." AJ begged quietly, the plan engine loud and deafening as she hugged into Punk, Dean and Seth sitting behind them.

"I promise." Punk said, "When we get home… we can talk more, just… try and sleep." Punk said, kissing her head as she nodded, hugging into him as Punk shut the window slide down, leaning his head against the side as he held her in his arms, he was just so glad he had his darling wife back in his arms again, he would help her get over whatever fears and panics she had gained throughout Joe's torture to her, he loved her with everything he had, he just hated to know she was in so much pain, but that was all gone, she was safe now and would never be harmed again, as long as he was still walking and breathing.

_A few hours later…_

The drive home was pretty silent, AJ continued to look out the window while Dean and Seth small talked, Punk just as silent as AJ as he kept his eyes on the road, eventually pulling up to the house.

AJ had hardly let the car stop before she got out, shutting the door over and walking towards the house, watching the door open as soon as she got to it, her best friend coming to her aid as she hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're here." Renee said, tears slipping from her eyes, she couldn't believe AJ had gone from being apparently dead to now being back home and looking ever so dreadful.

AJ just hugged Renee tightly, the only thing pulling her away was when Paige came to the door, equally as shocked and amazed to see AJ live and in living colour, she hugged her for just as long, when she finally stepped into the house for the first time a long dreadful week, searching for her children who she could hear were out in the garden.

She stumbled out the back door and seen their little faces light up when they saw her, both of them running towards her as she crouched down to catch them in her arms, hugging them tightly as she cried into their little shoulders.

"Mommy's here." AJ whispered through her cries, caressing her children.

Punk had made his way through the house while everyone looked on at AJ with smiles, Dean and Seth had embraced their girlfriends as Punk walked out where his wife and children were, AJ silently crying whilst not letting go of her children.

He crouched down and kissed her cheek, just ever so glad that she was back home and that his children had their mother again. There was no better feeling.

_Later that night…_

After finally getting the kids to settle down, all AJ wanted to do was get into her own bed and cuddle with Punk, really soak it in that she was protected and safe again in his arms.

She was round at her side of the bed while Punk was making sure the kids were sleeping, touching the bedside frames, looking around the room and realising how much she had missed her home and family. She had never experienced something so painful in her life and she was finally out of it, but she'd never forget it, and that was the worrying thing.

"Hey…" Punk said as he quietly crept in the room.

Nothing could have been a sweeter sight that seeing AJ sitting on their bed again, smiling to him as he walked in.

"Hi." AJ smiled quietly. It had been a hard, tragic week, but everything was over now, they just needed to learn to put it behind them, it was going to be hard, but with the support from her husband and friends, she could conquer anything. She was just so happy to be home.

"Are you ready to talk…" Punk said, sitting down on the bed across from her as her smile faded slowly.

**Punk seems to want answers. All in the next chapter.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

"What do you want to talk about?" AJ asked him, not really wanting to talk at all, she wasn't ready to tell her husband that another man had been touching her while he thought she was dead, what husband wanted to hear that.

Punk stood up and walked round to her side, sitting down beside her, "I know… I know you don't want to talk about it, but if we ever want to move on from this, I have to understand what went on while you were there." Punk said.

"You'll be mad with me." AJ hugged her arms.

"Of course I won't." Punk said, "None of this could ever be your fault." He shook his head, "He told me… he said…" Punk tried to find the words to say, having no other way to define it, "He told me that you and him..." Punk said, nodding to her, figuring she would click on.

AJ just looked at him, her lip quivering, "I didn't want to." She shook her head, "He made me… he wouldn't let me go. Then he… h-he started injected things into me so I would black out…" She shivered, watching him double over and run his hands through his face.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked through his hands.

"Physically… no." AJ shook her head.

"How can I…" Punk removed his hands from his face as he sat up straight, "How can I even kiss you again after knowing he…" He bit his tongue.

"I washed myself with bleach after every time he…" AJ turned away, "You have no idea how disgusting and intimidated I felt." AJ said, "I can still feel him on me, no matter how many times I shower… you might have trouble hearing it, but I'm still having trouble dealing with i." AJ said.

"This is my entire fault." Punk muttered, "I shouldn't have let you get taken by him in the first place, you wouldn't have had to go through all of that." Punk said.

"There was nothing you could have done." AJ said, resting her hand on his lap, "Just please… don't treat me any different." She begged, not wanting to be looked at or treated differently now that he knew his wife had been sexually abused.

"I'm so sorry." Punk said, pulling her into him, "I just can't believe he would do something like that." Punk said, then he shook his head and realised that it was a Joe thing. He just couldn't believe the fear and pain AJ must have been, being forced to do anything you didn't want to was hard enough, but being forced to be so open and bare in front of scum, being forced on to someone else's body whilst she continued to think of her husband and kids. He was having a hard time dealing with it all, he couldn't even imagine how AJ was feeling.

"Keep this between me and you." AJ whispered as she hugged Punk.

Punk just nodded, of course never going to tell anyone about this, he wouldn't do that to AJ. They just had to keep their head high and get on like nothing ever happened.

However, outside of the room door, Seth and Dean stood, their arms folded as they looked at each other.

"That scumbag." Dean said.

"Shhh." Seth waved his hand at Dean, "We pretend we never heard that." Seth warned Dean.

Dean just put his hands up in defence, "Heard what?" He said to Seth.

"Yeah, keep it that way." Seth said, "I think we should move out here, Dean." He said, walking away from Punk and AJ's bedroom, standing in the hallway upstairs.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Punks bound to breakdown from time to time, he needs us around." Seth said.

"He'll be fine. He's a big boy." Dean rolled his eyes.

"His wife has just been raped and drugged…" Seth looked at Dean with crazy eyes, watching Dean turn to the side and swallow loudly, causing him to turn to.

Punk stood at the door, thanking God that AJ was asleep and hadn't heard that. Were they listening in on their conversation?

"Punk… I…" Seth started when Punk just raised his hand and shook his head, wanting silence from them both. He had more things to think about than them. He pushed by them both and headed downstairs.

_The next day…_

"Can we talk…" Seth said, standing in the kitchen, looking at Punk looking in the fridge, the kids at the kitchen table, waiting on their breakfast.

"Talk about what?" Punk said, having left AJ sleeping, wanting her to get all the sleep she had missed out on while she was gone.

"About last night… me and Dean, we…"

"You want to talk about it now? In front of my kids." Punk said, practically throwing the milk back into the fridge.

"Well, after." Seth said, really feeling awful about listening into Punk and AJ's clearly private conversation last night.

"What you heard… forget about it. If AJ finds out that you both know, that's just another thing she needs to worry about." Punk said, putting his kid's breakfast out in front of them, kissing their heads as he walked back to Seth, "And in future…" He looked into Seth's eyes, "Don't ever listen into me and my wives conversations again. Do you understand me?" He said.

Seth just nodded and put his hands up, walking away into the living room.

Punk just sighed, running his hands through his hair as he looked at Sam and Charlie mumbling children talk to each other, really happy that their mother was back home, figuring this was just a little game that was being played.

_Later that night…_

AJ had got up and took another long shower, still trying hard to scrub herself and all the invisible scars on her body, she finally got out of the shower, realising that everyone was downstairs, walking into her bedroom with a towel wrapped around her, shutting the door over behind her as she looked at their bed that had a pair of her sweat pants lying on it, along with Punks violent gentlemen t-shirt, a note attached to it saying '_Your favourite t-shirt. The kids want to see you downstairs x'_

She put the sweat pants on and the oversized t-shirt, feeling extremely comfy and at home, finding a zipper to put on and heading out of the room, covering her hands with her sleeves, slowly taking a step one at a time, opening the door to the living room, looking at everyone stare at her, not saying anything.

"Mommy." Charlie smiled as he spotted his mother, playing a game with his sister in the middle of the living room.

AJ just smiled to her son, closing the door over behind her.

"You alright AJ?" Dean smiled as AJ just nodded.

"There's food out in the kitchen, AJ." Renee smiled, sitting tucked into Dean as she smiled to her best friends.

"Yeah, Seth volunteered to cook tonight." Paige laughed.

"Hey, my cooking is good." Seth brushed his shoulders as Dean just rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. A monkey could cook a few steaks in the grill." Dean said.

"Can everyone… stop yelling…" AJ said, holding her head, the noise of everyone's voices giving her a sore head.

Seth just looked at AJ, frowning upon her as she spoke to herself, walking by them all and into the kitchen in search for Punk.

"Hey, you look good in my clothes. Better than what I do." Punk smiled, drying the dishes, putting everything down when he seen her.

"I know they're our friends, but is there anyway… you could get them to leave." AJ said, fidgeting around with her hands.

"How? What have they said?" Punk said, immediately thinking Seth or Dean had said something.

"Nothing… I just… I need time to myself, they seem really loud and just… in my face." AJ said, knowing that wasn't the case, her friends were just being their normal selves, she just wanted to hear silence and have time to spend just with Punk, especially after everything that has happened.

"Yeah. I guess." Punk said, "I guess I shouldn't tell you that they were thinking about all moving to Puerto Rico." Punk scrunched his nose up.

"That's ok… just, I just want to be alone, right now." AJ said, not minding her friends moving to Puerto Rico, she just wanted to be in her house alone with Punk and her kids at this moment in time.

"Right, well… stay out here, I'll go talk to them." Punk said, "Dean and Renee had to leave tomorrow anyway to pick Faye up." Punk said.

AJ just nodded, "You understand why I don't want them here, right?" AJ said, not wanting anyone to think she was being rude.

"Hey, don't be silly." Punk said, kissing her head, "They're hard to deal with in any situation." He said, making her laugh, "I'll get rid of them."

AJ watched as he walked by her and into the living room, explaining to his understanding friends that AJ wasn't in the mood for company, they all understood very well and got their things together immediately.

AJ stood at the back door, feeling the warm air on her face, her arms folded as she heard Punk see their friends out, she loved her friends so much, but right now she just didn't want them around, she needed Punk to feel him close to her, and she needed her children, so she could know they were safe and in her arms again.

She still stood out at the back door, so lost in her thoughts, not hearing Punk creep behind her, feeling his arms circle around her waist from behind, completely jumping out of her skin and turning around.

Punk mentally kicked himself, why would he do that? Of all things? Creeping up being her.

"Sorry." Punk said.

"It's fine." AJ shook her head, walking back into the kitchen and shutting the door over, "Did they leave ok?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, they understood." Punk nodded, "We're gona get through this." Punk promised her, tilting her chin up to him, "We'll be back to the same old us in no time. I promise you." He smiled, watching a weak smile appear from her.

He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, the first time kissing her since she supposedly died, feeling her lips again was such a relief and he was just so glad he had her again, she might have lost a little bit of herself, but they would find it again, together as a couple, there was nothing they couldn't conquer together.

_One month later…_

For the past month, Punk had spent every single day with AJ and their children, trying to make AJ feel human again, taking her out on road trips with the kids, going for night walks on the beach, even managing to get her in the pool again after some coaxing from him and the kids. She was beginning to laugh and smile again, but every time he went to make a move on her, she still wasn't ready and he understood that completely.

They were building themselves back up to the couple they used to be, completely blocking out everything that had gone on in that tragic week.

Their friends were back in their homes, looking up houses in Puerto Rico to move to, getting ready to join their two friends in the sun after giving Punk and AJ their space for a month.

Punk was hopeful for the future. Now that Joe was out of the scene for everyone, they really did have nothing to worry about… apart from one thing.

AJ had been throwing up quite a lot as of late and it was late on one night… the kids were already in bed for the night and Punk and AJ were just about to go themselves when AJ found herself running to the toilet, throwing up her guts again as Punk held her hair back.

"Did you eat something?" Punk asked her, rubbing her back as he handed her a bit of toilet paper to wipe her mouth.

"Just the same things you've been eating." AJ said, "Maybe I'm just coming down with something." She shrugged.

She was really happy with how things were going, the knowing that Joe was dead was really helping her to get back to her normal life with her husband and kids. She still had nightmares, she still got scared and jumped when Punk tried to touch her, but they were making progress and would sure be back to normal in no time, she hoped.

AJ's eyes popped open immediately, scaring Punk a little when she done so.

"What? What's wrong?" Punk asked her, watching her stand up quickly, stumbling out of the bathroom and into their bedroom, taking her calendar from her drawer, looking at the days that had crosses on it, symbolising when her period was every month. She looked for this month, running her finger down the days and pausing when she seen the day… five days ago.

"No… no…" She shook her head as she dropped the calendar out of her hand, her hands covering over her mouth.

Things had just got one million times worse, just as she thought their relationship was making good progress. This would crush Punk, absolutely crush him. She hoped this was a false alarm. She didn't need this, not after what she was trying to overcome.

**Uh Oh. More drama.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

"AJ…" Punk said, walking into the room, looking at AJ across from him, a ghostly appearance overcoming her as she stood shaking, her hand over her mouth as she whispered things to herself.

"April, what's wrong?" He asked.

AJ put her hand against her forehead and sighed, looking around the room and spotting the car keys, walking over and grabbing them, walking past Punk and heading out of the room, running downstairs.

"April!" Punk shouted, tip toeing downstairs after her, watching her head straight out of the door, banging it close behind her as she quickly got in the car.

Punk opened the door and watched her as she pulled out of the drive, speeding off into the night, leaving him confused and worried for her well-being.

He shut the door over and walked back upstairs, heading into their room and walking round to her side of the bed, looking at the calendar on the floor of AJ's side.

He picked it up and sat down, looking at this month's dates, looking at the big black cross on five days ago. He had no idea what that was meant and flicked through the calendar, gathering that these crosses were every twenty eight days. He had to do some serious thinking, not having his brain on right as he wondered why there would be marks for every twenty eight days, what would she possibly keep track of that happened every twenty eight days.

He flicked through the calendar, finally understanding what they were for, not completely understanding why she had ran off… then out of nowhere… it hit him like a slap in his face and a stab in his heart. If these crosses represented when she took her period and she was meant to have one five days ago which hadn't appeared, plus with all the throwing up… there was only one explanation.

_With AJ…_

AJ had quickly ran into a twenty four hour pharmacy, collecting a few pregnancy tests and finding a nearby coffee house that was still open, walking straight in and into the toilets, emptying the tests onto the floor in a clutter, shaking as she quickly done what she had to do, clasping her hands in front of her mouth, pacing back and forth as she waited the most painful wait in her life. This was even worse than having to sleep with Joe, the possibility of being pregnant and it not being Punk's, there was no way she would have this baby, no way, but there was such a small part of her that believed it was Punk's, she slept with him the night before she was taken, there could have been a chance, but she didn't know if it was a chance she wanted to take.

She looked over the sink where the tests sat, ready to either jump for joy or fall to the ground…

She fell to the ground.

_Later on…_

Punk had been a raging mess since he realised what AJ's sudden run away was for. He'd practically tore the house apart, going downstairs and smashing things up, taking out all his anger on his house, about to tear the TV from the wall as the finish touch when he heard a car pull up outside.

He stopped his rage and looked around at the wrecked house, taking a deep breath and running his hand through his hair in denial. He heard the door open and seen her walk into the room, looking around at the destruction.

AJ could tell he already knew, he'd figured it out and took his aggression out on everything before she got back.

"Please tell me you aren't pregnant." Punk pointed to her, he could almost deal with the fact that Joe had slept with AJ, he was learning to deal with it in certain ways, but knowing she was pregnant with his kid, he couldn't deal with that, he couldn't.

AJ just looked down, holding the car keys as she cried silently, watching Punk put his hands in his hair and pace in the tiny spot, completely beside himself.

"This isn't happening." Punk shook his head, hadn't they already been through enough? Hadn't AJ already suffered.

"It doesn't mean it's his." AJ shook her head with a lump in her throat, walking towards him and taking a hold of his arm.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"It could be yours." She said, trying to keep him from damaging anything else in their home, "We slept together the night before I was taken. It could be yours." She nodded to him.

"It could… and what if it isn't… I am not raising his scumbag kid." Punk vowed, "That one night… that one night won't stand a chance against the four times you and him fucked." Punk threw his hands in the air.

"If you aren't ready to talk about this like an adult then I am not talking to you at all." AJ said, "Fix this place." She said, "And for the love of God… don't act like this is my fault." She warned him, he knew fine well that everything Joe done to her was not out of her choice, she couldn't deal with this alone if she didn't have his support.

Punk watched as she stormed off out of the room, leaving him completely speechless and terrified, his wife was carrying another man's child, a dead man's child, a scum's child. He could not face raising a child with his wife that wasn't his. Not now, not ever.

AJ walked upstairs and into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her as she leaned against it, tears pouring out of her eyes. She couldn't keep up with this anymore. One thing after another was happening and everything was just turning on her, she felt like the world was turning on her, like she had no one anymore. She had just started to get over and move on from everything that had happened, realising that she had her husband and kids that would always be there for her and that Joe was dead and gone and couldn't harm her anymore, but now this… this huge impact on her life and everyone else around her.

She didn't want any child that wasn't of Punk's. It was wrong and just nature's way of telling her no, but when there was a possibility of it being Punk's, she couldn't head straight to a clinic and sign for an abortion. She could be killing her and Punks child and she would not be held responsible for that.

Things were just too much to deal with and everyone knew that paternity tests were taken after the baby's birth, she didn't know if she could give birth to another baby that yes, of course was hers, but to be told that it wasn't Punks, she wouldn't be able to raise it the way it would need to be raised. It just wouldn't be the same.

She couldn't face this, she couldn't do it anymore. She had this weird craving and not a usual baby, weird food craving, a craving for that natural high, to feel no pain and insecurity, to feel good and happy, she had that craving for it that made her arms twitch and body sweat. She didn't know what was happening to her, she'd lost so much of herself over this and she had lost even more from being pregnant. She wasn't fit to carry a baby, not in this state and she definitely wasn't fit to carry another man's baby.

_The next morning…_

AJ had woke up and went downstairs to see Punks sitting at the kitchen table, his head resting over on it, the kids playing outside with each other. She noticed he had tidied everything up and hadn't came to bed last night, the covers still being neatly made on his side.

"Morning." AJ whispered, watching his head rise.

"Hi." Punk turned to her, cracking his stiff neck from side to side as he realised he was falling asleep over the table.

"Did you go to bed?" AJ asked him, pouring herself a cup of tea from the kettle, walking over and sitting across from him, looking out at the kids with a smile.

"No…" Punk shook his head, "Just lay on the couch." He said.

AJ just nodded awkwardly, sipping from the mug as she kept her eyes on the children. Her and Punk had always talked about having three kids, she planned on having another baby when the twins went to school, but she never ever planned to have another baby that wasn't her husbands.

"How are you?" Punk asked her, calming down a little from last night, coming out of the shock phase and going into the accepting phase where he realised now that yes, AJ was pregnant and there was probably a seventy percent chance the baby wasn't his.

"I'm ok." AJ said, "You?" She asked.

Punk just nodded but shook his head at the same time, not really knowing how he felt. How was he supposed to feel about his wife carrying a scumbag's child.

"I'm sorry for shouting and getting in your face last night." He apologised, "I just don't know what to do." Punk shrugged.

"Neither do I." AJ said, watching him just sigh and run his hand through his hair, looking across at her with an unknowing glance.

"It could be yours." AJ said, taking hold of his hand, "It could be." She nodded.

"And what if it isn't…" Punk said, pulling his hand away, "I'm sorry AJ, but… I refuse to raise another man's kid, especially his kid." He said, he just couldn't take the risk, it was crushing him that it probably wasn't his child, he refused to take the small chance of it being his, he didn't want anything to do with anything that came from Joe, especially when it was put inside his wife.

"I want you to get rid of it."

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24

"Excuse me?" AJ said, taken back by his request.

"Get rid of it. It's obviously not mine, it's still just a fetus, I'll make you an appointment and…"

"And that's your solution? Just kill it and move on?" She said, refusing to believe he was acting like this.

"I am not raising his baby." Punk gritted his teeth.

"May I remind you were the baby is right now? In me, in my body which I am in control of, not you. I'll decide what stays and what go's, I don't need you telling me what to do." AJ said.

"So you want to keep another man's baby while married to me, you want to raise a child that's father raped you and touched you, you want to raise a baby that was made from rape?" Punk said, feeling AJ slap him hard on the face.

"Such a jerk." AJ muttered as she walked away from him and out of sight upstairs. His words weren't helping her, she just couldn't deal with this anymore. She wanted all this pain and fear to go away, she couldn't deal with facing all of this alone, it was clear how Punk felt about it, he couldn't give a damn if it was their baby, all he cared about was making sure what ever Joe had touched or created was dead, he had no right and she was incredibly upset with how he was acting.

She spent hours upon hours, reading on the internet about paternity tests and DNA tests during pregnancy, reading that they were all at risk of producing miscarriages, this seemed to be the only thing that would help Punk be the supportive husband she needed him to be.

She read and read all day about different paternity tests that she could take whilst pregnant, finally deciding on one and heading back downstairs after hours of locking herself in her room, patting the kids on the head as she walked by them and into the kitchen were Punk was.

"Paternity test." AJ immediately said as she walked into the kitchen, watching him look at her.

"What?" Punk sighed.

"We'll take a paternity test, we'll risk me miscarrying and we'll get a paternity test in a few weeks."

"AJ… you don't have…"

"Oh no, but I do… I do, because if not, you won't stand to look at me for nine months." She spat, "We need to wait until I'm ten weeks." AJ said, assuming she was five weeks pregnant already, having to wait another painful five before she could do the test.

Punk just nodded as AJ explained to him the CVS paternity test that she had chosen to do.

"Regardless of it being his, this baby stays whether you like it or not, this is my body and my baby. I will not be told what to do? I spent enough time being told what to do by him." She gritted her teeth, walking away from Punk as he sighed.

_5 weeks later…_

AJ and Punk had arrived to the clinic after a very awkward and silent five weeks of waiting. AJ wasn't looking forward to having things poked up her lower region just because Punk couldn't wait any longer. She did understand him in some level, she knew exactly why he wouldn't want to raise any baby with her that wasn't his, especially if it was Joe's, but he could have at least been a tiny bit more supportive and at least hugged her and told her it would be alright.

"May I take both your names?" The man who was going to be carrying out the test asked, sitting in a room with AJ and Punk before getting AJ ready for the testing.

"April Jeanette…" AJ smiled to the man, "Brooks." She mumbled.

"Phillip Jack Brooks." Punk said.

The man took down their names and also some other details, then proceeded to explain to them how everything was going to work and explaining to them that they would get the results back in 5 to 7 days.

Throughout the very uncomfortable testing procedure for AJ, she felt Punk hold her hand throughout the full thing, looking at the camera on the screen above that was showing AJ's insides while the surgeons went to work.

He hated to play out the bad guy, but he was just so scared about the possibility of AJ being pregnant with another man's baby. He couldn't raise a baby that wasn't his and pretend everything was alright. Maybe he hadn't took into consideration how AJ felt, but his feelings about it was just too strong that it was overshadowing her opinions.

He prayed it was his. He'd love to have another baby with AJ, maybe this time he could be present at the birth and hold his second son or daughter in his arms as soon as it's born, it was a nice thought but he wasn't sure if it was realistic just yet.

After the testing was done and AJ got changed back into her clothes after wearing an ugly hospital gown, they were told some more information, especially about risk of miscarriage after this procedure, which both Punk and AJ understood, they finally got to go home, picking their kids up from their neighbours and settling down for the night. AJ was just glad it was done and over with, all they had to do now was wait.

"Promise me you'll stick by me, whatever the outcome of this is." AJ said, sitting on one side of the couch while Punk sat at the other.

Punk just turned to face her, "I don't make promises I can't keep." Punk said, turning his eyes back to the TV as AJ quickly got up and left the room, banging the door shut behind her.

Punk was being honest with her, he hated to see it affect her, but he wasn't going to promise that he would raise Joe's baby, because there was a good chance he wouldn't. It was bad enough having to raise another man's baby with your wife, but when it was Joe's… it made things ten thousand times worse.

He wasn't trying to be mean or spiteful towards AJ, he would never try and deliberately hurt her, but he had never broke a single promise he had made to her, he wasn't starting now.

_Five days later…_

Punk and AJ were called by the clinic five days later, both of them arriving quickly, Punk practically driving round the corners on two wheels, having waited the most painful wait in his life, finally getting some answers.

They both sat down after five days of completely ignoring each other, their relationship going from strong and progressing, to silent and awkward.

"Alright… it's nice to see you both." The consultant smiled as AJ and Punk just nodded, "Ok, so the testing went good, we managed to collect a sample from the womb that indicated two DNA's, one being of course yours… April." The man smiled to AJ, "And the other being Phillip Jack Brooks." The man looked Punks way.

Punk had never been so relieved in his life, he clenched his fists in triumph and bowed his head down to take a moment for himself, not having to deal with anything out of the ordinary. AJ was pregnant and it was his baby.

AJ gave out a relieved smile but made it disappear when Punk looked at her, looking at him in a disappointing way.

"This is good." Punk smiled as they walked out of the clinic, "We're having another baby." He smiled, he'd never been so shocked in his life, it was his baby, his and April's third child.

"Our baby that you wanted me to get rid of." AJ looked up at him, "What if I agreed? Huh?" AJ said.

"Well good job you didn't…" Punk said as they walked to the car.

"Dammit Phil…" AJ paused, "Don't act like everything is fine now." She said, "Congratulations, it's your kid, but would you have been there if it wasn't, would you have supported me? Would you have raised the kid made out of rape? Your words, not mine." She said, "Don't just brush everything aside now just because you got what you wanted." AJ said.

"AJ, I'm sorry. But you gotta understand how I was feeling, I had barely got over what Joe had done to you, but knowing you might have been pregnant with his kid. I was scared." Punk said.

"Well so was I." She said, "If I miscarry… I will have no problem in blaming it all on you." She pointed to him, getting in the car, tucking her hair behind her ears, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Of course she was so relieved that it was Punks baby, but it was still hurting her that Punk wasn't prepared to support or help her if it wasn't his, she was practically going to be on her own if she had went through with having the baby if it was Joe's. He couldn't just pretend everything was alright now just because it was his.

Punk got into the driver's seat, starting the engine and pulling out of the car park, getting on to the main road as the silence in the car haunted him, this wasn't how couples celebrated finding out they were having another baby.

"In fact…" AJ said, "Just drop me off at a hotel." AJ said.

"What?" Punk said as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Just drop me at a hotel." AJ repeated.

"You don't have a bag, or any clothes…" Punk said, not finishing his sentence when he looked at AJ who just glared up at him.

He drove her to the nearest hotel to their house, parking outside and watching her gather her stuff, putting her phone in her pocket.

"AJ, c'mon… you don't have to do this." Punk said.

"Don't even speak to me." AJ shook her head, getting out of the car and shutting the door over with a bang, walking into the hotel, disappearing from Punks eye sight.

"_If I miscarry… I will have no problem in blaming it all on you."_

The words haunted him. He'd really let his own fears and worries over shine what she wanted and felt, worse than what he had thought.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

_One month later…_

She lay in their cold bed. Her stomach empty and hollow, as well as her heart. He was downstairs awake no doubt, he hadn't slept since it happened, he hadn't spoken since it happened. He couldn't face the facts. It was his way of telling him it was his selfish fault, it was AJ's way of telling her she wasn't ready to deal with another baby, it was society's way of being cruel.

They hadn't talked about anything yet. When she came home from her night stay at the hotel, she still never forgave him, but she got along with him, for their children's sake, for the sake of carrying their next child.

Nothing could have ever been more tragic, these past few months had just killed her inside. She figured that she was given this baby as a gift, that something good had come out of everything, but then it was tragically ripped from her.

She hadn't shedded a tear however, she was all out of tears to cry. She tried to accept it, accept the fact that they just weren't ready, she still needed time to heal from the wounds Joe had gave her, she wasn't healthy enough to keep the baby happy inside her. The paternity test probably wasn't anything to do with the loss, she was too stressed and unhappy.

She got out of bed, swinging her legs to the side, still having a hard time thinking that she did have a baby inside her, and that it was gone. She remembered that night, getting out of bed while he still slept, going into the toilet and leaving with blood on her hands.

She was glad they never told anyone yet, she couldn't face having to tell them all, she was stressed enough as it was. She got out of bed and walked out of their room, heading downstairs quietly, estimating that it was about 4am, walking into the living room, looking at him sitting on the couch, his hands in his face.

She knew he would live with the guilt of this forever, but she didn't want him to.

"You haven't been to bed." AJ said, walking over and sitting down beside him, not knowing how he could go days without sleeping.

Punk nodded as he took his hands from his face, looking round at her, "I'm fine down here." He said.

"You're not though, are you?" She said, brushing his hair from his face.

"This is too much." Punk shook his head, not knowing how AJ was still surviving through everything she had been through.

"We just aren't ready to have another one. Don't blame yourself for this." AJ said, she couldn't stand him thinking this was his fault, even though a month ago she told him it would be.

"But you said…"

"I know." AJ nodded, "I was angry then, of course I didn't mean it. I know how much you wanted this after we found out it was yours, but we still need time to heal, I need time to find myself again, I could have never carried a baby in this state, even if it was yours." She said, "This doesn't mean we'll never have another one, it just means it's not time to do it right now." She said.

"I thought this was the good coming out of everything, that after everything we've been through, everything you've been through, we'd get something good out of it." Punk said.

"Do you know why I married you?" AJ asked him, watching him look at her, "Because you have patience and are willing to give up your time to make sure I am ok." She smiled, taking his hand, "I don't need you to be a father again, Phil. I need you to look after me." AJ said, a tear rolling down her cheek, she knew this was for the best, it had to be, of course she was upset, devastated, but it wasn't the right time.

Punk wrapped his arm around her and brought her into him, hugging her tightly, "I'll always look after you." He said, seeing the light she was shining directly in front of him. This wasn't his fault, maybe the paternity test did have some effect on the loss of their baby that he influenced, but AJ said it herself, she wasn't fit or healthy to be carrying a baby, she still wasn't back to one hundred percent yet, she was still scared and aching, she couldn't feel that whilst being pregnant. He still hadn't got to touch her yet, they needed to overcome things before they even thought about having another baby.

He was still upset, so upset. But it was for the best, AJ had too many demons inside her to have a baby, demons that had clearly caused the loss of their third child.

_The next morning…_

After falling asleep together on the couch, AJ and Punk were both woken up by the sound of Punks phone ringing beside them on the floor. He reached for it as AJ stretched and rubbed her eyes, tucked into his chest.

"Hello." Punk answered in his morning voice, his hair covering his forehead, not slicked back like it usually was.

"Hey man, look outside your window…" Dean said.

"Dean, what is it?" Punk sighed.

"Look out your window." Dean repeated.

Punk just pointed to the phone and rolled his eyes to AJ, slipping off the couch as she continued to lie on it, watching Punk go to the windows and look through the closed blinds.

"Oh no." Punk sighed, covering the phone with his hand so Dean wouldn't hear it.

"What is it?" AJ asked, sitting up.

"Come here." Punk waved her over, tucking her in front of him as they both looked out the window.

"They haven't." AJ looked up at him in disbelief, both of them staring at the move in van across the road from them, watching Dean unload boxes into the house that was up for sale across from theirs.

"This is going to be a nightmare." Punk held his forehead and sighed, walking away from the window and sitting back down on the couch.

"It won't be that bad." AJ shrugged.

"I mean… what's next, is Seth going to move in next door?" Punk chuckled.

_The next week…_

"You have got to be kidding me." Punk stood in front of the house next door to him, folding his arms as Seth stood beside him.

"Right next to my big brother." Seth wrapped his arms around Punk like a child.

"You couldn't have picked a different house?" Punk questioned him.

"No, we wanted this one. That way we can just walk into each other's house." Seth smiled.

"No…" Punk shook his head like Seth was an idiot, "Don't just walk into my house. Bill and Janus don't walk into my house." Punk pointed to their other neighbours on the other side of their house.

"But Bill and Janus are shit." Seth shrugged, "This is good." Seth patted Punk on the back, "You got Dean across, and me beside. You can't go wrong." Seth smiled, walking away to the moving van to collect some more boxes as Punk just stood, shaking his head and wondering why he had such clingy friends.

_Later that night…_

"Why would they do this though?" Punk sighed, plating his kids dinner up who sat at the table with their mother who was actually in normal clothes for once, not living off sweat pants and baggy t-shirts.

"Oh be nice, Phil." AJ shook her head, "They're just looking out for you, I think it's nice that they moved out here for us." She smiled.

"You don't understand. They're going to be in our house twenty four seven." Punk sighed, putting the kids dinner down for them.

"The way I see it, we can get more alone time, they can watch the kids." AJ shrugged, "Eat your vegetables, and stop throwing them on the floor." AJ warned the twins, sitting across from them.

Punk nodded his head side to side, supposing that was the only good outcome of Dean and Seth moving so close to them.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go away for the weekend, just me and you, go into town and stay at a hotel. Just for some space and time to ourselves." Punk suggested.

"That sounds nice." AJ smiled, "Charlie!" AJ shouted, watching her son throw his peas one by one on the ground.

"C'mon pal…" Punk said, picking up the contents from the floor and throwing it in the trash, "Stop throwing things on the floor."

"Since Dean and Renee have Faye, Mr Rollins can have the kids." AJ smiled, standing up and walking away from the table, putting her empty glass in the sink and walking back over to Punk, wrapping her arms around him, "I know pretending like nothing has happened is hard, but we'll get over this." AJ nodded, reaching up and pecking him on the lips.

It was still a little hard for both of them to try carry on with their lives when they had lost something so precious and important, but for their relationship to keep growing strong, they had to be strong.

_A few days later…_

"They'll eat anything and if I've forgot to pack any of their toys, here's a spare key to our house." AJ handed Seth as she dropped the kids off, strictly speaking she only walked across a few inches of grass and knocked on their door.

"Ok… how long are you going to be away for?" Seth asked, never having looked after the twins for a lengthy time.

"Just the weekend." AJ smiled, "They're good kids. Sam still has trouble sleeping sometimes, so I put in some medicine that we give her to help her fall asleep, just in case she is any trouble." AJ said, never having left the kids for a long time, apart from the obvious when she had no choice, but she knew they were safe with Punk then.

"Alright." Seth nodded, "Well, you two get going, have fun." Seth smiled, Charlie in his arms, Sam already having ran off into the house to find Paige.

"Ok, thank you so much, Seth." AJ smiled, "Bye baby." She said, planting a kiss on Charlie's cheek, Sam not in view to do the same.

She walked down the drive way, hearing Charlie shout bye to her as she got into the car where Punk was.

"Ready?" Punk asked her as she put her seat belt on.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Let's go." She said, relaxing back into the seat as Punk pulled away from the street.

This was what they needed, a weekend to themselves where they could just talk and open up to each other, it would be better for their relationship and it would help with dealing with everything had went on, maybe she'd even be ready to take him back into bed like she used to. She just had to take one step at a time.

She felt Punk rest his hand over on her lap as he kept his eyes on the road. They were born to be strong people. They needed this time away to find each other again and to find methods of getting over their loss. It was too hard to do it with the kids at home and also now, their four friends constantly in their home.

**Time away is definitely what they are needing.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	26. Chapter 26

"I hope Seth and Paige will be alright with the kids." AJ said as they had just checked into their room, worried about her children.

"They'll be fine." Punk assured her with a kiss to the cheek, "Seth is good with them." Punk said, sitting down on the double bed, swinging his legs back and forth like an impatient child.

"I know he is." AJ nodded, "I'm sorry, I'll shut up." She shook her head, taking a seat next to him.

"I'd love to go all the way back to the start again." He smiled to her, watching her look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" AJ asked him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I want to wake up in that hospital bed again and see your face, fall in love with you all over again." He smiled, his arm wrapped around her tightly, they were going to make the most of this weekend, he was going to show her that no matter how bad things were, no matter what they had gone through, what she had to go through, they always had each other and that would never change.

_With Seth and Paige…_

"Seth, what are you doing?" Paige asked, folding her arms as she looked at Seth sitting on the floor in the living room, his legs in a basket as he put together his newest purchase.

"I am being fun Uncle Seth." Seth smiled, putting together the Wii that he had bought, especially for the kids, maybe a little for him to.

"How much was this?" Paige asked him, walking over and crouching down, the kids busying themselves outside in the garden with their toys.

"That doesn't matter. They're going to love this." Seth smiled.

"What games did you get?" Paige asked, stretching over and picking up the games Seth had got, looking at them, front and back.

"Just dance?" She laughed, "Are you a girl?" Paige chuckled as he snatched it back off her.

"The kids will like it." Seth made a face to her.

"Right." Paige exaggerated her nod, "I think Dean and Renee are coming over later, so maybe we get Dean drunk, get him playing it, video it and send it to AJ and Punk." Paige laughed.

"Dean would play this sober." Seth laughed.

"Well… I'll leave you to it then." Paige laughed, pecking his cheek and walking away through to the back garden to see what the kids were up to.

_Later that night…_

Punk and AJ decided that it was too late to go out for something to eat, so they just decided to order room service and stay in their 'comfy clothes' as AJ liked to call them, sitting on the king size bed with the TV on in the background, enjoying each other's company.

"I thought I'd actually lost you. For a few days, I thought I'd really lost you." Punk said, AJ lying into him as he sat against the headboard of the bed.

"Well you haven't." She smiled up at him, "Joe planned to keep me a whole lot longer in Chicago." She shivered, feeling goose bumps appear on her arms, "I didn't think I'd see you for a long time." She frowned.

"I just want you to know that… we'll always have each other, I hate what he done to you, it makes me so angry, but you're the strongest woman I know, you can get over this, he's gone now, he's never coming back." Punk said.

"I know." AJ nodded, playing with the bed sheets, "I just sometimes…" She took a deep sigh, "I still feel him on me, he'd make me do things that I didn't want to do, he'd… put his hands all over me and I couldn't hide away from him. That first night that he…" She coughed, feeling Punks body go stiff, "He was so rough, he pulled my hair… slapped me if I didn't say what he asked me to." AJ shivered, "I still have nightmares." She sighed.

"He's just scum that was never loved by anyone, so he turned to hurting people who did have love in their life. But he's gone now, ok… you don't have to be scared." Punk said, kissing her softly, finding it hard to hear her explain everything, but liking the fact that she was opening up to him.

"You have no idea, you're a man… you don't have the intimidation that I got, the way everyone stared at me, the way he would pull me on top of him, force me under the covers…"

"AJ…" Punk shook his head, not really feeling comfortable anymore.

"Sorry." She said, "I just… I haven't talked about it to anyone apart from you, I know you don't want to hear it, but it's helping… getting it all out." She looked up at him.

This really was helping, it was like releasing all this tension and fear inside her, letting another person know about the pain and suffering she had to go through, he might have not liked to hear it, but it was the truth and he deserved to know regardless.

"I know and that's good… I just find it hard listening to it." He said.

AJ just nodded, she knew it would have been hard for him to hear it all, he was her husband that loved her, he was the only one that was allowed to touch her and be close to her, not anyone else. Hearing it all for him was just sheer reality of how bad she must have felt at the time.

"It will get better though, right?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah, of course it will." Punk nodded, "It's been a hard few months. Extremely hard, but we'll get through it like we always do." Punk said, stroking her arm up and down.

"Yeah." AJ agreed, an awkward silence filling the air suddenly as AJ spoke up again, "I'm sorry I lost the baby, Phil." AJ said.

"Hey…" Punk said, "This was not your fault, I shouldn't have made you take the test, I should have just waited until it was born and we would have had another son or daughter, I was just… I was so scared of it being his, I just had to know, I couldn't have survived nine months thinking that it was his baby." Punk shook his head, "I should have supported you, I just let my fears get in the way, during the test I realised that we shouldn't have done it and when you… when you told me you'd lost it… I felt so guilty, a piece of me will always feel guilty for it, but like you said… we just weren't ready to look after another baby, especially with everything going on." Punk said, "But don't dare blame yourself for this, if anyone deserves to be blamed it's me." He said, still feeing partly guilty for the loss of their unborn child.

"I agreed to the test. It wasn't your entire fault." AJ said, "I've just… I've never felt anything like it in my life, it felt like I was emptying my full stomach, the blood and the pain… what next? What is going to happen to me next? That was all I could think of." She sighed.

"This is why you're so strong. All the obstacles that you have got over, it's made you so strong and I'm so proud of you." He said, kissing her head, "We'll have another baby, maybe not right now, but we will in good time and it will be when you're ready and healthy." Punk said, "Right now we just have to be honest with each other. Things will all work out the way they're supposed to." He said.

"Thank you." AJ said, smiling up at him.

"For what?" Punk asked, backing his head back to look at her with a smile.

"For just being here and being you." She smiled, "We can't let this tear us apart." She shook her head.

"Nothing tears us apart." Punk smiled, leaning down and kissing her softly on the lips, deepening the kiss slowly as he tangled his hands in her hair, taking things slowly for her, easing his way back to the way he used to have her.

He made his move and ran his hand down her arm and along her waist, watching her jerk to the side a little and whimper into the kiss, not sure if she could this just yet.

"You don't have to do this." Punk pulled back, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I want to… I really want to." AJ said, reaching back up for his lips as he lowered her down onto her back, hovering over her as he began to slowly and carefully take off her clothing, nudging her neck with his cold nose as he trailed warm kisses from her neck, down to her collarbone.

"It's me. Don't be scared." He smiled, stroking her t-shirt as he leaned back and stripped his t-shirt off, leaning back down over her and pecking her on her lips, unclasping her bra from behind and throwing it across their room, looking down to her with a small smirk, having not seen her like this in such a long time.

AJ felt slightly sensitive and hesitant, but she knew it was just him, it was her husband, her soulmate, that wouldn't do anything to hurt her, she trusted him like she trusted no one.

"I'll take care of you, sweetheart." Punk said, kissing her lips as he trailed down her neck, latching on to her breasts, swirling his tongue around the sensitive flesh as he felt her hands cup the back of his head.

She had missed this, his gentle touch and sweet kisses, unlike what she had went through the last time she had a sexual encounter. She could always count on him to make her feel warm and safe and loved.

"You sure you're ok?" Punk looked up from her breasts, stroking her cheek.

"Yeah." AJ nodded quietly, "Please… go on." AJ said, really wanting this now that she knew she was in safe hands with her husband.

Punk nodded, working his way down her body, his hands on her breasts while he kissed down her stomach, just taking a moment for the baby they had lost, working past her stomach and bringing his hands down to her hips, hooking his fingers inside her panties, sliding them down her legs, throwing them away like he done with her bra, watching her hesitantly close her legs over.

"Hey… It's just me." Punk soothed, "Do you trust me?" He asked her.

AJ just nodded. This was more nerve wracking than her first time with him. She let her legs relax and felt him part them a little, feeling him kiss the insides of her thighs.

Punk had no problem in making tonight all about her, she deserved this after everything, she deserved to be loved and held again.

He kissed down on her soft folds before parting them, feeling her shiver as he created goose bumps on her. He then parted her folds with his thumbs and took the sensitive wet flesh in his mouth, nibbling and kissing at her clit, giving her every little pleasure she deserved.

AJ was just so lost in him, feeling his tongue and lips on her centre was the greatest feeling in the world and after not feeling it in such a long time, it made it all the more better. Her fears along with her scars were disappearing and she was opened up to him without hesitation now, knowing she was safe and protected with him now.

Punk felt her hands tighten into his hair and her hips contract with his mouth movement on her core.

"Phil. That feels so good." AJ moaned, running her hands up and down her body, touching herself as he kept his face buried into her, his eyes looking up at her as he continued to lick, suck and play with her, watching her stir above him.

He pulled back for a moment but then inserted a finger inside her wet entrance, thrusting it in and out of her, going back to using his tongue on her clit and stimulating every little button inside her, the friction of him finding her g-spot and also licking her clit was beginning to get too much and she could feel an intense build up in her stomach, starting off with a tingle.

"Phil… I'm so close, baby." AJ moaned, putting her hands in her hair as she arched her back while he inserted a second finger, setting her off completely as her juices coated his finger and everything got so amazingly tight.

She screamed his name over and over again, feeling sorry for the rooms around them, trying to bite her tongue but not being able to, feeling him lick her completely clean before he made his way back up her body.

"That was amazing…" AJ gasped, feeling Punk kiss down on her neck, making his way to her lips and giving her a deepened kiss as her hands circling around her back.

She was half way there to being back in her husband's arms like she used to.

"How about we make this real hot." Punk whispered in her ear, leaning back for a moment and getting rid of his sweats and boxers as AJ propped herself up on her elbows to watch, biting her lip as he stripped.

"Lay on your side." Punk whispered to her as he watched her look confused but nevertheless, turn on her side, feeling lay on his side behind her, in perfect position to touch all of her.

"Oh…" AJ realised how this was going to work, "I like this position." She smiled.

Punk's stomach was pressed up against her back as she lay on her side in front of him, feeling him lift her leg up and slowly insert his length inside her from behind.

He hadn't had sex with her in what felt like years and it was such a relief to be back inside her again, her warm tight walls keeping him closed in as he began to move in and out.

"Oh… Oh god." AJ moaned, feeling Punk go deep and slow. She put her arm up and cupped the back of his head from him lying behind her, feeling his hand creep round and squeeze her breasts. The good thing about this position was that everything he wanted to touch was in reach for him and he also got to crash his hips down against her ass which was always a plus.

"You like this baby?" Punk whispered from behind in her ear, watching her grab the sheet in front of her as Punk raised her leg back up, speeding his thrusts inside her.

"Oh yes, yes… keep going…" AJ rolled her eyes back, feeling him increase his pace, the sweat on his body sticking to her back as he continued to slam as deep as he could go into her, breaking every boundary and barrier inside her until she yelling and screaming for her release.

She had no idea why she was so frightened of this, she was safe in his arms and he was treating her the way she deserved to be treated, with love, kissing her neck as he pounded in and out of her, his length throbbing inside of her by the minute.

"Phil… I'm gona… I'm so close." AJ moaned, leaning her back into him as she backed into his thrusts, this being the only time that she was feeling positive about everything, not having that fear and doubt lingering around her, not feeling scared what so ever.

"Let go, April… I want to feel you." Punk moaned with a growl in her ear, continuing to hold her leg up a little whilst he got clear access into her wet centre, the sheets in the room already a mess and it was only their first night.

"Phil, yes… Oh…" AJ moaned loudly as she came hard, grabbing the bed sheets in front of her, her stomach tightening and her husband holding her body tightly as he spilled himself inside her, breathing down her neck rapidly as he twitched inside her, filling her up to the brim with his seed.

Punk pulled out after he'd gone soft, trailing his fingertips up and down AJ's arm as he kissed her shoulder, enjoying every moment of that, so glad to know she wasn't scared throughout that, feeling her hold on to him.

"That was amazing." AJ gasped as Punk continued to lay behind her on his side while she turned on her back to look at him, "Thank you." She smiled, leaning in and kissing his chest.

"It really turns me on when you thank me." Punk whispered in her ear.

AJ smiled deviously and laughed a little. She was just glad she was safe and they had talked about their feelings together. She was a very intimate person and loved to be intimate with her husband, so when she got scared of it, she knew Joe had really broke her, but she was picking up the pieces and not letting him win.

She had the most amazing husband in the world who treated her with such love, she wouldn't know what to do without him.

She wasn't going to let this affect them anymore, they could go on and live their life now, not in fear but in happiness with their children and friends, it was a sweet feeling.

"What else do you want me to thank you for?" AJ smiled as she bit her lip, feeling him trail his fingertips up and down her body, brushing over her still wet centre.

Punk just smiled and leaned down, kissing her on the lips sweetly. He was glad she had made it through that and enjoyed it all at the same time, he was worried they may never be the same again, but when they were intimate, it was just they two, no one else was relevant or important and that's the way it stayed. They'd get over this in no time, it would be hard, but they would conquer it together like they always done.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	27. Chapter 27

"Charlie, you need to hold the remote." Seth said, "Here…" He crouched down and wrapped the safety strap around Charlie's small wrist, putting the remote in his hand and showing him where to point it to.

After hours of trying to set it up, the twins didn't even know how to play properly, Punk and AJ had them living like robots.

"How do you do this…" Dean said, putting his beer down and swinging the remote around in the air in front of the TV, "Nothing is happening." He frowned.

"You're worse than the children." Seth snatched the remote from, "Maybe turn it on." Seth rolled his eyes, switching the remote on and handing it back to Dean who just smiled innocently, putting the strap around his wrist as he prepared to battle it out against his godson.

Once Charlie stopped being stubborn and taking the strap off his wrist, they switched the console on and set the settings up as Dean jogged on the spot as if he was getting ready to run a marathon.

"Alright…" Dean said as he noticed what game they were playing, "Who bought the games?" Dean said, looking from Seth to Paige.

"Just play it." Seth pushed Dean.

"Why don't you?" Dean looked at Seth.

"Fine, I will and I'll beat your ass." Seth said, crouching down and explaining to Charlie that he and Dean had to just test things out first, taking the remote from him and strapping it on his wrist.

Charlie jumped away onto the couch beside his sister and Renee who was feeding 9 month old Faye.

"Wasn't this for the kids?" Renee asked, looking at Dean and Seth trash talking to each other, looking at Paige and rolling her eyes in embarrassment at their boyfriends.

_The next morning…_

Punk and AJ woke up the next morning, completely still in each other's arms, so peaceful and content.

"Morning." Punk smiled, watching her as she opened her eyes. She was just so naturally beautiful, he didn't think there was anything more perfect than what she was, in fact… he didn't think, he knew there wasn't anything as perfect as what she was.

"Morning." AJ smiled, turning to him and hugging into his chest. She didn't think she was ready last night to be intimate again, especially after that had happened to her and her body, but he treated her with such gentleness, everything went perfectly and she felt so much better just from them talking and exchanging love again, having not been so close in what felt like years.

"What do you want to do today?" Punk asked her, wondering if she wanted to go anywhere specific.

"I don't know. As long as it's something with you." She smiled.

She felt like she was lucky in some way. Punk could have believed she was dead for the next few months, maybe even a full year, but he was there to rescue her within a week, it was nice to feel cared about.

"Hmm…" Punk thought to himself, "If I had it my way, I would just stay in this bed all day." Punk smiled his hands sneaking under the sheets as she watched the pleasure hit her, feeling her push his hand away with a smile.

"Save it for later." AJ smiled, sitting up and getting out of bed.

_Later that day…_

Since it was such a nice day, Punk and AJ headed down to the busy beach, finding a spot that wasn't too crowded.

"Don't tell Sam or Charlie we were here." Punk laughed, knowing that the twins loved the beach, they could spend forever making sand castles with him while AJ sunbathed. It was nice to go themselves however, not having to plaster the kids in sun cream every two minutes out of AJ's motherly request.

"Sun, sex and the beach, we're really going all out there this weekend." Punk laughed, looking at AJ, wearing jorts and the top set of a bikini, scrunching her face up as she looked at him.

"Lucky you." AJ laughed, lying down on the towel, closing her eyes but jumping when she felt someone walk by, one of the things she was left with since Joe had taken her, the fear of everyone in the world apart from her husband, children and friends.

"We don't have to be here." Punk said, lying down beside her, propping himself up on his elbow as he looked down at her, "We can go somewhere that's quiet with less people." Punk suggested, not knowing if being around so many people was right for AJ.

"Yeah…" AJ sat up, hugging her arms, "You wouldn't mind?" She said, not being able to relax properly.

"No… come on." Punk stood up, giving her his hand and helping her up as she put her t-shirt over her bikini top half, folding up the towels and walking out of the beach scene, finding a quiet park with a few picnic benches, very little people, the sun still shining down, a much more better place for her to relax.

"This is better." AJ smiled, sitting down on the bench as Punk sat across from her, leaning his arms on the table, looking across at her, "You're still the bravest person I know." He smiled, stroking her cheek.

_With Seth and the twins…_

"Do you always splash each other?" Seth asked, bathing Sam and Charlie, watching them splash each other and laugh while he helped wash them, having some fun of his own and spiking Charlie's hair up.

There was no doubt that Punk and AJ had raised their children right with manners, but he could see so much craziness in both of them, he didn't know where the crazy had come from considering AJ and Punk were both a little mad.

Being with the twins made him want a kid of his own, they were just so small and full of life, so much of Punk shining through in them, their mischievous little natures.

"Do you miss your mommy and daddy?" Seth asked them, rinsing the shampoo out of their hair as they splashed their hands in the bath. They were such good kids, he remembered the minute they were born, holding them and realising they were a part of his life now, he didn't know how small and perfect something could be until he held them.

"Miss daddy." Sam frowned, forever being a daddy's girl while Charlie on the other hand loved his mother's cuddles, however they both couldn't live without either one of their parents, they were both too important to them.

He loved his life and was glad that Joe was gone. No one needed to be scared anymore, they could all continue with their lives like they did before and he could continue ignoring these strange feelings he had for AJ.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28

Later on that night, Punk and AJ went back to their hotel room. AJ still didn't feel ready to go out around lots of people, and that was fine with Punk.

They sat outside on the balcony, the sea breeze blowing AJ's hair and complimenting her skin. She really felt at peace here, she could relax and be with her husband, take time to heal from all the inside wounds.

"How are you?" Punk asked, walking out onto the balcony, sitting down beside her on the outdoor, soft couch, watching her open her eyes from relaxing and turn towards him.

"I'm good." She smiled, "This is definitely what I needed." She said. She actually felt relaxed and safe again out here with Punk, it was great to finally feel herself get back to normal, gradually.

"Yeah?" Punk smiled, shuffling closer towards her, his arm snaking over her and playing with her hair, "We should do this more often." Punk said, looking up at the stars in the dark night sky.

"We really should." AJ agreed.

She felt like her normal self again, after last night with Punk, she finally realised that Joe was gone and that they had nothing to worry about anymore, they had their full lives ahead of them now. Yeah, they'd felt so much pain over the past few months, but they could overcome it, they always could.

"I was thinking about getting another tattoo." AJ said, turning to him with a smile.

"Yeah?" Punk smiled to her in interest, "What of?" He asked.

"Well I have the two swallows on my ankle for my parents, I still haven't got anything for your or the kids." AJ smiled, taking hold of his hand and smiling, knowing he had her initials somewhere on his arm and the kids full names on his shins, a knot tied around the names in design that they were twins.

"You don't have to get anything for me or the kids." Punk said.

"I know I don't. But I want to." She said, "I want you to take me to a tattoo parlour tomorrow on the way home." She said.

"Alright." Punk agreed.

"But right now…" She got on her feet, standing in between his legs and reaching up at her neck to untie the simple sun dress she was wearing, letting it fall off her body in front of Punk, kicking it away from her feet, standing completely naked, looking down at him.

Punk just sat back, his pants feeling extremely tight as he bit his lip, looking up and down his wives naked body, her tanned skin so appealing to his eyes.

AJ sank down to her knees in front of him after standing for a minute to let him look at her, feeling extremely satisfied by the way he always looked at her.

She took her hands and unbuckled the belt in his jeans, undoing the button and zip and pulling them down with a little help from him, leaving him in his black boxer shorts where she could already see his length poking through.

She smiled up at him as she felt him stroke her hair behind her face. He was constantly making her feel good and better, she felt like she had to repay him in some sort, she knew this was bound to work.

She kissed his length through the fabricated boxers, smiling up at him as he groaned a little. She then pulled the boxers completely off him, looking at his hard lengthy member spring out in front of her face.

She put her hand around him and stroked him up and down a few times before licking from bottom to top, teasing him the best she could, knowing he hated to be teased. She never thought she would have become one of those horny girls that is constantly pleasing her husband, but he seemed to bring it out in her.

She watched him as he took is t-shirt off, both of them being completely naked now. She licked with the tip of her tongue, up and down for a constant few minutes, as well as using her hand on him until she finally wrapped her full mouth around him, sucking the head of his cock as she immediately felt herself get wet from the light moans he was making.

Punk was on cloud nine, he could have sat here all day with her sucking him off, she knew how to set him off in every way imaginable, the way she would managed to fit all of him her mouth, even if she was gagging and deep throat him for at least a minute before pulling off for a breath of air, he thought it was some sort of talent.

"April…" Punk moaned, tangling his hands in her hair as she bobbed her head up and down, up and down.

"You like that?" AJ asked, pulling back and stroking him up and down, her hand now slipping up and down on him as her wet mouth had lubricated his length.

"Yes… God yes, keep going…" Punk said, lowering her head gently back down on him, guiding her mouth back around him as she proceeded to suck up and down on him, gagging every time his length hit the back of her throat, which was a lot since Punk couldn't keep his hips still.

"That's right…" Punk rolled his head back, his hand firmly in her hair for some sort of relief, "Just like that, baby." Punk moaned, looking back down at her as she looked up at him, such innocence in her eyes yet the act of what she was doing was anything but innocent.

AJ continued to suck him off, tangling her hand under her body and massaging herself while she did so, watching him noticing she was stroking herself.

"Are you stroking yourself?" He smirked to her, watching her nod as she continued to bob up and down on to him, never getting enough of pleasing him.

She continued to stroke her wet flesh whilst continuing to take him into her mouth, looking up to him as he whispered things to himself and to her, telling her what he was going to do to her.

Punk felt like he was getting too close for AJ to keep up what she was doing, so he pulled her up on top of him, having her straddling him as she kissed him passionately, his length rubbing up and down against her folds.

"I'm so wet right now." AJ moaned in his ear, "So wet for you." She smirked, finding his lips again and kissing him deeply.

"Ride me." Punk whispered in her ear, "Ride me hard." Punk begged, his hands placed at either side of her waist as she lowered herself onto his large length, moaning all the way until he was as far in as he could go, pulsing inside her as she began to move up and down, his hands coaxing her on a bit as he ran them up her sides, her breasts bouncing up and down in his face which he was not complaining about.

"God, you look so sexy." Punk growled, latching on to one of her breasts as she continued to bounce up and down on him, hard and fast, he could never get bored of this position, he loved to be in control but seeing her on top, giving it to herself, it was enough to drive him insane.

"Phil… baby, you're so deep." AJ moaned, her hands firmly on his muscular tattoo'd chest.

"You like it deep though, don't you…" Punk growled, looking down at his length going in and out of her, so smoothly and right.

"Phil… I'm gona…" AJ moaned breathless, taking one hand from his chest and stroking her fingers against her clit as she enjoyed the depth to which Punk was going and the stimulation from her clit.

"Just like that, c'mon April…" He rolled his back and forth, taking full control now as he thrust his hips up into her as she landed down on to him, pounding into her like there was no tomorrow, "Let yourself go." He growled.

"Phil…" AJ moaned, meeting his thrusts and cupping her breasts with her hands, his sex drive just being too much for her to handle, feeling him completely wreck her inside, but in a good way.

Just a few more deep thrusts and she was there, screaming loudly and pulling his hair as she collapsed on top of him, feeling herself spill out onto him as he spilled into her, filling her up completely as he held her shaking body tightly, her breasts pressed against his chest as she rested on his shoulder, his arms around her back as he stayed deep inside her.

"Thank you." Punk whispered in her ear, slightly making fun of her in a playful way, knowing she always said it to him.

"My pleasure." AJ gasped, feeling all sticky and sweaty as she lay in his arms, a shower in need. She could always be herself around him and that was what mattered, she didn't feel scared, she felt happy and safe and with every moment they were spending together lately, they were overcoming her fears.

_With Seth and Paige…_

"They asleep?" Paige asked, watching Seth come downstairs and into the living room, sitting down beside her on the couch.

"Yeah, out like a light." Seth smiled.

"I love watching them with you." Paige smiled, snuggling into Seth, she liked to think it was what the future looked like for them.

"Yeah?" Seth smiled down to her, his arm around her as he stroked up and down her arm.

"Yeah, you're so good with them." Paige smiled, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers.

"Well what do you say…" Seth shrugged, watching Paige look up at him, "What do you say we have one?" He smiled down to her.

There was no doubt he loved Paige, she brought out the best in him. He still wasn't sure what these feelings were that he had towards AJ but they weren't as strong as the feelings he had for Paige. She lit up his world, he didn't know where he would be without her. He didn't know if it was just some sort of weird crush he had for AJ or if he just cared about her a lot as a friend, but he didn't want to be with anyone other than Paige.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

_The next day…_

"God, how do you get so many of these?" AJ asked, her and Punk walking out of the tattoo parlour after she had just gotten her second tattoo on her hip bone, just under her jean line.

"C'mon, you pushed two babies out of you, a tattoo should be a tickle." He laughed as they walked to their car.

She had decided to get Punks name with the twin's names below in line with each other, an infinity sign between the names. She forgot how sore it was to get a tattoo, or maybe it was just where she had got it, right on her hip, she was just glad she got it now.

"You ready to go home?" Punk asked her, both of them getting into the car, watching AJ look down her jeans at the tattoo which was covered up with cling film by the tattooist.

"Yeah." AJ smiled, leaning back and smiling towards Punk, cupping his cheek as he pulled out of the parking space and got on route to go home.

After a half an hour of driving home, they finally arrived at their house, pulling into the drive and getting out of the car, shutting the doors over and walking over to Seth and Paige's house, knocking at the door.

Seth opened the door, however Charlie and Sam were the first to emerge, extremely happy to see their mother and father.

AJ and Punk crouched down to their children, giving them hugs and kisses and asking them all about their stay at Uncle Seth's, listening to them explaining how much fun they had staying at Seth and Paige's.

"Thanks again for looking after them." Punk smiled, the twins dragging their mother into the house to show them the Wii while Punk walked in talking to Seth.

"It's no problem." Seth said, "Did you have a good time?" He asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, smiling at AJ interacting with the kids, knowing she had missed their little characters so much.

"They're great kids, man. Raised them right." Seth patted Punk on the back, walking away into the kitchen to find Paige.

Punk just smiled, looking upon his children with his hands in his pockets, smiling at their little giggles and smiles. They were perfect, every part of them, who knew something so good could have come from him? A man who had done a lot of bad things in his life. They were the reason he got out of his bed early in the morning, them and his beautiful wife. He had everything, he was the luckiest guy in the world.

_Later that night…_

Since they hadn't really celebrated Seth, Paige, Dean and Renee moving to Puerto Rico, they decided to have a friendly gathering later on in the night at Punk and AJ's house.

The kids were happily playing in the centre of the living room, fighting a little sometimes, nothing their fathers warnings couldn't get rid of. Faye was asleep in her father's arms. Dean had gained the talent of holding his daughter in his arms while she slept while still being able to hold his beer in his hand and drink from it. It was a skill he only had, he told people anyway.

AJ had showed everyone her tattoo which was still covered with cling film which was advised for the first few days.

"Did it hurt?" Renee asked, liking how much meaning that tattoo had to AJ.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "But it was worth it." She smiled, really happy with the tattoo.

"My back tattoo was agony." Seth said, having only the one tattoo down the spine of his back, Chinese writing of his name.

"You're all wimps." Punk rolled his eyes, AJ sitting on his lap and slapping his shoulder playfully.

"Easy for you to say." Dean said, "You're probably just used to being inked. I'm still surprised your veins work." Dean sniggered.

"I'll take Faye for a tattoo when she turns 18." Punk smiled Dean's way.

"You do that and I'll break your leg, both of them." Dean warned Punk, coorying Faye into his chest as she slept peacefully.

"So, how did your weekend go?" Renee asked them.

"It was good." AJ smiled, turning to Punk and kissing Punk, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, the kiss being a little too deep for their friends.

"Alright, get a room." Dean said, turning away from Punk and AJ.

Punk just smiled, pulling back from the kiss, resting his hand on AJ's lap.

Throughout the night, the kids had been put to bed as well as Faye who was sleeping up in AJ and Punk's room in the middle of their bed, leaving the adults up in the living room.

"I am not playing dares." Punk rolled his eyes.

"Pussy." Dean coughed, smiling to Punk.

"No, I'm not a pussy. I'm 34. Not 13." Punk glared at Dean.

"Come on, it will be fun." AJ tapped him.

The good thing about their friendship they shared, they could always count on each other to make each other laugh and smile, they were kids at heart refusing to grow up.

"Fine." Punk rolled his eyes, "Whose going first?" Punk asked.

"I'll go first." Dean raised his hand, "Give me your best shot, Brooks." Dean smiled.

"Alright…" Punk smiled, about to have some serious fun with this.

The night proceeded to go on as did the humiliating dares, the night spiralling on to early hours of the morning as they continued to dare each other humiliating and embarrassing things.

"I dare AJ…" Punk smiled to his wife, "To make out with Renee." He smiled as Dean got overly excited and started pushing Renee over towards AJ.

"That all you got?" AJ laughed, standing up as Renee did, pulling Renee towards her and locking lips with her friend, not being as hard as what Punk thought it would be.

Dean jumped up and down on the couch, slapping Punk on the chest with excitement.

"Please don't tell me this is turning you on." Punk shook his head as he looked at Dean.

"It's not turning you on?" Dean looked at Punk with disgust.

"A little." Punk shook his head from side to side, not wanting to admit it.

AJ pulled away and went back to her seat, sitting down beside Punk as Renee sat back down too.

AJ couldn't even remember doing things like this when she was a child, never mind when she was married with children. It was nice to feel so free and have so much laughter filling their home. She wasn't the type of girl who had many friends growing up, it was so nice to be surrounded by four amazing friends, as well as her amazing husband.

"Why didn't I video that." Dean frowned as Renee just chuckled, stroking his cheek with sympathy in a playful way.

Punk lived for this kind of stuff… not watching his wife make out with other women exactly, but being surrounded by his friends who were technically his family, they brought out the good in him, their immature jokes and stories, they were the only people he would tolerate staying up until 5am with playing a game of dares. They were the closest friends imaginable and were like the one big family that done everything together.

"What'd you say we stop playing and get breakfast?" Dean suggested, the clock ticking onto 5am.

"Where do we get the energy from?" Seth asked himself.

"I'll put the kettle on." AJ smiled, standing up off the couch, walking away into the kitchen where she switched the kettle on, getting out six mugs from the cupboard.

This was what she needed to do, surround herself by positive things, her husband, her children, her best friends, that way she wouldn't need to think back to a few months ago where she was at breaking point.

"Need a hand?" Punk asked her, coming into the kitchen and watching AJ put coffee in five mugs, putting a tea bag in the sixth mug for Dean who hated coffee.

"I think I can make a few cups of coffee." AJ smiled.

"I know, I just wanted to come out and see you." Punk smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him, "I love you." He smiled.

"I love you too." AJ smiled, looking up at him passionately, pressing her lips up against his.

"Things are going good for us." Punk said, pulling back from the kiss.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Finally." She smiled, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged into him, feeling him hug her back, kissing her head softly.

"Hey…" Seth said as he came into the kitchen, watching Punk and AJ part from their hug, turning around to Seth.

"Sorry…" Seth said, not meaning to interrupt, "Me and Paige are actually going to head off, so you don't need to make us breakfast." Seth said.

"Alright, you sure man?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, Paige isn't feeling too good." Seth said.

"Ok, man. We'll say you later then." Punk said as he watched Seth nod, going back to his hug with AJ.

Seth and Paige were barely in the door to their own house before they were immediately on each other, locking lips as Seth carried Paige upstairs, their lips attached to each other the entire time, reaching their bedroom and facing each other.

"You sure you want to do this?" Seth asked her.

"Yeah." Paige nodded, "I want nothing more." She nodded, cupping his stubbly cheeks, feeling him press his hand against her stomach.

"Let's try." Seth smiled, watching her nod and latch onto his lips again.

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	30. Chapter 30

_Later on in the day…_

After everyone had left the Brooks household, AJ and Punk spent some time with the twins, playing outside with them. Punk was in the middle of chasing them both around the garden with a towel, both of them just coming out of the pool and running away from getting dried. They knew their father was going to catch them, but it was nice to play up from time to time.

For Punk it was the greatest thing, hearing their little energetic screams as he chased them around with the towel open wide to catch them in, hearing AJ laugh from the side.

AJ's attention was taken from Punk and the kids when she felt Dean creep up behind her, giving her a fright, jumping out of her skin, wishing he hadn't done that.

"Shit sorry…" Dean scrunched his nose, knowing he shouldn't have done that.

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked him, shaking the fright off and looking at him.

"I need your help with something." Dean said, taking her hand and sitting her down at the table and chairs outside.

"Is everything alright?" AJ asked.

"Everything is fine." Dean assured her, "I… I'm going to propose to Renee." He said, watching AJ clasp her hands, covering them over her mouth as she tapped her feet on the ground rapidly with excitement.

"Really?" AJ smiled with excitement.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, "But I'm not sure how to do it." Dean said, "How did Punk ask you?"

"He pulled me into the hall after dinner in our house in Chicago and asked me to marry him." AJ shrugged, "Just be you, Dean." AJ smiled, putting her hand on his shoulder with a smile, "Renee loves you for you. You could put the ring round a bottle of wine and she would love it." She laughed.

"I just want it to be perfect, you know…" Dean said.

"When are you planning to ask her?" AJ asked.

"Soon." Dean said, "I've been holding it off since a few months ago, I'm just really nervous." Dean said.

"Don't be." AJ smiled, "She's going to love it whichever way you decide to do it." AJ said.

"Ok, thanks AJ." Dean nodded, leaning over and pecking AJ on the cheek, escaping out the back garden fence.

AJ just shook her head with a smile, turning her attention back to her family, watching Punk wrap the towel around Sam and Charlie, not letting them escape and lifting them up, their little laughs echoing the garden.

Punk made his way towards AJ, putting the kids down and drying them off from being in the pool, asking her what Dean was wanting.

"He asked me advice on him proposing to Renee." AJ smiled.

"Really?" Punk said surprised a little, "Didn't think I'd see the day that Dean Ambrose got married." Punk laughed.

"This is so good." AJ clasped her hands with excitement.

"We invented getting married to them." Punk smirked, in other words trying to say that they got married first, "Now…" Punk looked at the twins, "I think you both need to go for a bath." Punk said.

"You get them in the bath, I'll get their dinner on." AJ smiled, walking into the house with them, watching Punk carry them both away through the living and upstairs for a bath.

_The next day…_

Punk, Dean and Seth had gone out for the day, having a bit of guy time and finding a bar that was showing the blackhawks game live, Dean and Seth enjoying a few beers while watching, Punk staying on the soft drinks.

Punk wasn't going to go, not having left AJ in the house herself since everything went downhill, but she reassured him that Renee and Paige were coming over and that she would be fine, so he headed out.

"So the wife tells me you're proposing?" Punk said, looking Dean's way, sitting in the corner of the bar around a table.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, "I've been holding it off for as long as I could. I'm so nervous." Dean said, his palms sweating at the thought.

"Well it's inevitable that she'll say yes." Seth laughed, "I have some duties to be fulfilling myself too." Seth said.

"What?" Punk laughed.

"Me and Paige are trying." Seth said, taking a drink of his beer.

"That's good man." Punk smiled Seth's way, raising his glass to him.

"Yeah." Seth agreed, "You guys don't happen to have any tips?" He asked them.

"Our kids were mistakes." Dean laughed as Punk hit him on the shoulder.

"Hey…" Punk looked at Dean, turning his attention back to Seth, "Just don't try to get her pregnant, just stop trying not to get her pregnant." Punk shrugged.

"Smart idea." Seth nodded.

"I don't get anything you said there." Dean looked at Punk, so confused after hearing Punks advice.

"What's not to get?" Punk made a face at Dean, "Just do what you normally do…" Punk looked at Seth, "Just 'accidentally' forget a condom once or twice." He said, making speech marks with his hands when he said accidentally.

"I get it now." Dean nodded, smiling to himself for getting what Punk was actually meaning.

"So you're planning to have a kid, you're proposing, what the hell is next for me?" Punk laughed.

"Have another kid." Dean laughed, watching Punk go silent and stare back up at the TV, pretending he never heard that.

Seth looked at Dean, wondering why the subject of Punk having another kid made everything awkward all of a sudden.

"Hey man, you alright?" Seth asked, looking at Punk.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"You sure?" Dean asked, not knowing if he had said something.

"AJ was pregnant." Punk said, twiddling his thumbs around as he looked down.

Dean and Seth went a little stiff, their shoulders tensing up as they leaned their arms on the table.

"Did she lose it?" Seth asked quietly.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I didn't think it was mine, I thought it was his. So I made her get a paternity test." Punk said.

"Don't they things cause…" Seth paused when he suddenly realised, shutting up and going silent.

"We got the results back and it turned out it was mine, but she was still pissed at me with how I acted about it all, I wanted her to get rid of it at first, I was convinced it was his." Punk shook his head, "She miscarried a month later." He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry man." Seth frowned.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry." Dean added.

"We're just trying to get over it all now, she told me that she lost it because she was too stressed and scared still but I'm always going to believe that it was my fault, making her get the paternity test." Punk said, "I had to know."

"I would have done the same." Dean said, trying to make Punk feel a little better.

"That's just nature's way of telling you that you both shouldn't be having another kid, not right now anyway, it wasn't your fault." Seth said.

"Don't tell her that I told you, she'd kill me if she knew that you knew." Punk said, knowing AJ didn't want anyone else to know, but these were his friends, he told them everything and they always swore never to tell anyone.

"We won't." Dean shook his head.

_Later that night…_

Punk got home later on that night where the kids were already in bed and AJ, by the looks of the empty living room and kitchen. He messed around in the kitchen, getting a glass of water and picking up a few of the kids toys, taking them into the living room where all their toys were. Heading up to bed, making sure to lock the front door, putting the chain on and walking upstairs, peeking into the kids rooms, smiling as he seen them fast asleep in their beds.

He walked on ahead, his jacket still on, opening his room door and smiling as he seen AJ lying in just her underwear, red to be precise, the only light coming from the few candles around the room.

"Took your time." AJ smiled kneeling up on the bed in front of him, face on with him as he smiled to her.

"You are one evil woman." Punk said, looking upon her, her breasts pushed up in her bra, cleavage on show deliberately for him.

AJ just smiled and stripped his jacket from him, feeling him then lower herself down on the bed, climbing on top of her as she ran her hands up his t-shirt to feel his masculine chest, feeling his lips against hers as his tongue ventured into her mouth, his hands cupping her cheeks as they smiled against the kiss.

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	31. Chapter 31

"Mmm… that was nice." AJ smiled, lying in bed with Punk beside her, the night still mildly dark outside, the candles burning down to the very last few minutes as she lay running her hands up and down her body with satisfaction.

"Tell me about it." Punk agreed, trying to catch his breath back to normal, lying on his back beside AJ, running his hand up and down her body slowly.

"We're really getting over things, aren't we?" AJ said, rolling over into Punks arms, resting her head on his chest as he grabbed the sheets and pulled them over their bodies.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I told you we would. Everything that happened, it's all in the past. We have so much ahead of us." Punk smiled.

AJ just smiled as she closed her eyes on and off, her arms wrapped around him as she lay safe in his arms. "I hope you know how much you mean to me." She whispered.

She understood that sometimes her and Punk weren't always on the same page and did have some unwanted heat between them, but what couples didn't? Especially after everything that had went on. She was so proud of him for managing to look past everything that had been done to her, she was equally as proud of herself for physically erasing her abusive week away from her memory. She had a wonderful husband and two perfect children who meant more to her than any scars or fears.

_A few weeks later…_

It was finally the twins third birthday and AJ wanted everything to be perfect. Her and Punk had spent the full night before, blowing up balloons and sticking up banners, wrapping presents and making sure everything was perfect for their children.

Three seemed so much bigger than two to Punk and it made him feel really old to know that three years had gone by since AJ had them.

They spent the full morning as a small family. Punk sat on the floor with his legs crossed, watching Charlie and Sam open each present one by one. Sam's presents were wrapped in pink paper while Charlie's was wrapped in blue, just like they done at Christmas.

AJ sat on the couch, watching the smiles appear on her children as they opened their desired presents.

They decided to just have a small gathering with their friends in their house later on to which Dean was preparing to propose, finally putting his fears aside.

After the kids opened their presents, Punk began making them pancakes as a birthday treat, getting them to help him flip them.

"1…2…3…" Punk said, holding Charlie up in his arms as he let Charlie hold the cooking pan, even though he had most grip on it, making it out that Charlie had done it, watching his little amused face.

"Right…" Punk put him down, "Go sit next to your sister, I'll bring them over." He smiled, feeling AJ creep her way over to him as he sorted their breakfast.

"I can't believe they are three." AJ said, looking over at Sam and Charlie, stepping on each other's toes like usual.

"Neither can I." Punk laughed, "Feels like yesterday that they were just born." He smiled over to his children.

_Later that night…_

The kids were endlessly playing with their presents from not only their parents but their aunties and uncles throughout the day, spoiled rotten with hugs and kisses from those around them.

AJ loved seeing such joy on their faces, knowing that today was all about them. They had grown so much over the years even though they were both reasonably small. Their tiny little hands and feet weren't so tiny anymore, their shoes by the door had grown as well as the clothes in their wardrobe. She remembered taking them home and looking at them both in their cribs, so tiny and beautiful, little gifts of life that she held so precious to her heart. It saddened her but also excited her that they were growing up and becoming their own little personalities.

"You ready?" Punk asked, walking by Dean who was in the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking a can of pepsi out.

"I'm shitting myself." Dean said, shaking like a leaf, never being so nervous for anything in his life.

"Stop being a pussy and just go ask her." Punk said, walking back into the living room to join his wife, friends and still excited kids.

He could watch them play with their presents endlessly, their little faces lit up by the joy of getting what they asked for.

Dean stood in the kitchen and waited for Renee to appear, watching her walk on and go into the fridge for the remaining bottle of wine she had, opening it up and beginning to pour it into her glass.

"What you doing out here?" She asked him, putting the bottle back in the fridge and shutting it over, walking towards him and wrapping her arms around him,

"Can we go outside for a minute?" Dean asked her.

"If you like." Renee nodded, not sure why Dean wanted to go outside, nevertheless she followed him out the back door and into the garden where there wasn't much light, but still easy enough to see him.

"So, you ok?" She asked him, noticing that he wasn't being his usual self lately.

"I'm fine." Dean nodded, "A bit nervous…" He admitted, glancing to the kitchen window where he could see Punk, AJ, Seth and Paige staring out, Charlie on Punks shoulders while Sam got a piggy back from Seth to see out of the window, not knowing what was going on but excited.

"Nervous for what?" Renee laughed.

Dean just gave a slight nod towards Punk at the window as he took his chance with love, watching Renee look around the garden as twinkly likes started to light up around her. The lights on the back fence spelt out 'marry me?' and they were flashing for her attention.

"Oh my…" Renee stumbled back a little and covered her hand over her mouth, "Dean are you?" She turned to Dean and watched as he went down on one knee, holding out a ring in front of him that was sat up in a velvet box.

"Renee, I have never loved anyone like I love you. Please, will you marry me?" Dean asked as Renee just gasped with a smile, putting her hand to her chest and looking down at the beautiful ring.

"Y-Yes… of course I will." Renee nodded, giving Dean's poor heart a rest as she pulled him back up to his feet and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him sweetly on the lips as the lights flickered in the background. She pulled away and watched him slide the ring on her finger, attaching his lips back on to hers after he'd done so, pulling her in tight for a passionate kiss.

Punk, AJ and the rest of the clique were watching with smiles at the window, AJ had taken hold of Punks hand, so nice to see her best friends get engaged. It was such a beautiful sight on such a beautiful day, the perfect way to end the night and her children's third birthday.

_Later that night…_

After everyone started to clear off, AJ made a start on tidying up the kitchen while Punk put the tired out kids to bed, asking them if they had a nice day which they both agreed. She thought she was alone in tidying up in the kitchen, but apparently not.

"Need a hand?" Seth smiled, watching AJ put rubbish into a black trash bag, tucking her hair behind her ears and sitting it down.

"I think I got it." AJ smiled, "It's alright, you can get home." AJ said, capable of tidying up the mess by herself, appreciative of Seth's offer though.

"Here…" Seth insisted, grabbing the trash bag, "I'll get the rubbish, you make a start on the dishes." He said as AJ just nodded with a smile, turning around to the sink and starting to rinse the glasses and cups through the water.

There was just something about that smile that couldn't keep him in control. He hated feeling this way, especially when he knew it was Paige he wanted, they were trying to have a baby for crying out loud, but AJ was just there all of the time, it was hard for him to ignore these weird feelings. It wasn't necessarily that he was so undeniably attracted to her the way Punk probably was, he just had these unnecessary feelings for her, her sweet smile and her caring nature, the way she handled the kids and was so soft with Punk, it just made him feel a certain way that he knew he shouldn't be feeling.

After he collected the majority of the rubbish in, he walked back into the kitchen and left the trash beside the door with the other bag, looking at AJ as she stood with her back to him, washing the dishes.

AJ looked in the window reflection, seeing Seth standing behind her and looking at her, "I think that's everything, Seth." AJ said, "Me and Punk can take care of the rest." She smiled, feeling Seth put his hands on her waist from out of nowhere, causing her to turn round immediately in shock.

"What are you doing…" She looked at him, not sure what he was thinking by doing that.

Seth just looked at her, she was so innocent and perfect, but so was his girlfriend. He just wasn't thinking, he never did, he knew better than to mess with anything that belonged to Punk, but he just couldn't help it.

AJ watched him, not sure what he was attempting to achieve out of putting his hands on her like that. Ever since they made that mistake of sleeping with each other, their friendship had never been entirely the same, especially for Seth.

Seth just had to do it again, he had to know what this was that he was feeling, if it was something to ignore or express. He pushed his lips against her, feeling her immediately throw her hands up in the air for resistance as her eyes darted open, but then he suddenly felt her kiss back and such a sweet kiss it was.

AJ didn't know what was provoking her to kiss Seth back, was it the fact that she was actually enjoying the kiss, or was it the fact he was always there for her when Punk wasn't. She didn't know but she kept kissing him, so stupid to not realise that her husband was upstairs putting their children to bed, her husband who she loved and who cared about her the most, who would do anything for her, yet that didn't seem to phase her for that little moment. In that little moment, all the pain that Punk had caused her was rushing through her head and it provoked her to kiss Seth back.

Seth lifted her up, brushing some books and papers out of the way on the kitchen counter, lifting her up as he continued to kiss her deeply, the way Punk was only meant to kiss her.

He knew he shouldn't have ignored these feelings. He wasn't thinking about Paige, he wasn't thinking at all and that was the problem. Her mouth tasted so heavenly and for him it felt right to be kissing her. Someone needed to stop him. AJ needed to stop him, but she hadn't and that provoked him even more.

**Oh.**

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	32. Chapter 32

"April, do you know where Sam's blanket is?" Punk shouted as he walked downstairs, not having a clue what his wife and best friend were up to in the kitchen.

AJ immediately pushed Seth away with a rough push, jumping down from the kitchen counter that she had appeared to be sitting on, not having a clue why she had kissed him back and for so long.

"Eh…" AJ muttered as she ran her hands through her hair, looking at Seth who just stared at the ground, "On the couch!" AJ shouted into Punk, listening to him grab the blanket and walk away back upstairs.

"W-What…. What do you think you're doing?" AJ asked Seth, looking to blame fault on Seth when she was just as bad, she didn't know what it was enticing her to kiss him back, there was just something inside her that made her kiss back, something that she never knew she had, some sort of feeling for him, even if it was just a small feeling, it was still a feeling and she wished it n ever existed because now she had to deal with it.

"I'm sorry." Seth shook his head, knowing that was wrong, but now he knew where he stood with his feelings, had they been in a different room, alone with no one to interrupt them, maybe things would have went further and that was how he knew his feelings were too strong.

"You should go." AJ said, hugging her arms, so ashamed and disgusted with herself that she had just done that, after everything that Punk had done for her over these past few months, helping her build herself back up to her normal self, she was a despicable human being and would not live with herself after this. She'd never felt any weird attraction to Seth, not even when they slept together but something just came out in her and provoked her to kiss him, some weird feeling inside of her told her to kiss back, to kiss back the man who had helped her a lot these past years, who was there for her when Punk wasn't.

All Seth could do was nod and leave the house with such guilt, walking across the house, stumbling over the grass and walking into his own home, mentally kicking himself for doing this to Paige the woman he loved so much.

"Seth, come upstairs." Paige said from upstairs, knowing that it was her boyfriend coming in the door, having a really special, amazing surprise for him.

Seth sulked upstairs, knowing what he had to do, knowing that Paige did not deserve this, her kind, beautiful, amazing heart did not deserve everything that he was putting her through. She deserved so much more than him and he had to tell her that.

"Paige, we need to talk…" Seth said, reaching the top of the stairs, watching her come out of the bathroom with a smile on her face, shutting the door behind her.

"About what? Can it wait?" Paige asked.

"No, I need to speak to you." Seth said, taking her hand and walking into their bedroom, sitting down on the edge of the bed with her.

"Is everything alright?" Paige asked him quickly.

"Not really." Seth shook his head, "I am a horrible, horrible human being." He shook his head to her, "I don't deserve one bit of you." He said, watching her mood turn very serious and worried.

"What are you talking about?" Paige asked, slightly confused.

"You deserve so much more than me. You deserve someone that can love you like you're the only girl in the world. Someone that only see's you in a room full of women." Seth said, knowing that Paige wasn't the only girl he was looking at in the room today.

"Seth… I don't understand." Paige shook her head.

"I think we should go our separate ways. I can't give you the love you deserve and I know some lucky guy out there can give you all the love in the world." He said, "I think it's time to part." He said, looking at her as she just shook her head in confusion, she looked so upset and hurt.

"Why are you doing this… you said a few weeks ago that… that you wanted to have a baby with me." Paige stood up, completely confused by this, not wanting to break up with Seth, not knowing why he was doing this, but then all his talk started to make sense and he knew, "There's another woman… isn't there." She looked down at him.

"Something like that." Seth nodded, watching her put her hand on her forehead and chuckle sarcastically to herself, "But it's not about that, it's about you getting what I know you deserve, you deserve someone so much better than me and I know you'll find that someone. Any guy would be lucky to have you." Seth said.

"Who is it?" Paige asked, putting her hands on her hips, playing with her lip ring inside her mouth, wanting to know the woman who was ripping her relationship apart.

"It doesn't matter. We can never be together. But it isn't fair on you, please… just understand that I love you, I love you so much, but this is what's best." Seth said.

"I can't believe I ever gave you a second chance, I shouldn't have taken you back after you slept with AJ…" Paige spat at him, trying not to cry, she didn't cry, but she was hurting so badly right now, then it dawned her as soon as she spoke AJ's name out aloud, "It's her, isn't it?" Paige paused her shaking body and looked at him sink his head down.

"Yeah." Seth nodded, shamefully lowering his head.

"So you aren't just ruining this relationship, you're trying to ruin a marriage too." Paige laughed to herself as the first tear escaped her eye, quickly vanishing it with her hand.

"I'm not trying to ruin their marriage." Seth shook his head.

"You know what… I hope Punk finds out and I hope he destroys every cold part of you." Paige pointed to him in disgust, "I'd ask you to get out of the house but I assume you want me to leave since your sweet little AJ is tucked away next door with her family, in bed with her husband!" Paige yelled, running her hands through her hair.

"If you want me to leave, I will." Seth nodded, he knew this was hard on her, he knew she was in pain when she started crying, Paige never cried.

"Don't bother. I'll be gone by the morning." Paige said, not wanting to stay here anymore, she felt unloved and felt like she was just some toy that Seth had been playing with for the past three years.

"I am so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am, Paige." Seth stood up, "I love you, I know you won't believe me, but I really do." Seth said, hating how much this was hurting her.

"Like I said… I'll be gone in the morning, for good." Paige said, "You can sleep downstairs tonight." She spat, folding her arms as she walked away into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it, putting her hand over her mouth as she cried hysterically into herself, keeping it silent so he wouldn't hear, staring at the positive pregnancy test over by the sink.

_With AJ and Punk…_

AJ had paced around the living room for the next fifteen minutes, assuring herself that this feeling she had, it was just because she cared so much about him as a friend, not as anything more. She loved Punk, she wanted to be with Punk, not Seth.

She could still feel his lips on hers, she tried her best to ignore how perfect it felt, splashing her face with cold water in the sink and drying her face, looking at her reflection in the dark window. She was terrible, unforgivable and just down right disrespectful towards Punk, she shouldn't be afforded him, he was too good for her.

"Kids are asleep." Punk smiled as he walked into the kitchen, watching AJ turn around and smile to him.

"They go down ok?" She asked him, trying to pretend like nothing happened, Punk was good with spotting things that were bothering her.

"Yeah, they were both exhausted, Charlie fell asleep on me while I was putting his pyjamas on." Punk laughed, "I think they enjoyed their day." Punk smiled, walking over to her.

"Good. I'm glad." AJ smiled, turning back round to the dishes she had left at halt when Seth began to put his hands on her to distract her.

She felt Punk wrap his arms around her waist, leaning down and kissing her neck from behind, for the first time she felt really uncomfortable, not deserving the pleasure he was trying to give her.

"I'm a little bit tired myself." AJ smiled, turning round to face him.

"Why don't you go on up to bed then? I'll finish tidying up down here." He said.

AJ just looked at that as another example of how she didn't deserve his kindness. His patience and his good heart. But she knew that heart could turn cold sometimes.

"Thank you." AJ smiled, walking out of the kitchen and leaving him to finish the rest of the tidying, creeping upstairs and sighing as she reached the top. She couldn't be kissing other men, regardless of who they were and what they had done for her, she was a mother, she was a wife, she was meant to be loyal to that one person she was married to, but she just still couldn't stop thinking about Seth and their kiss, no matter how bad she felt about herself, she seemed to want to do it again.

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**May I remind you all that this is an AJ Lee & CM Punk fanfiction, so don't be too hooked up on what's going on in the story at the moment and stop reading. Just enjoy the drama and keep up the REVIEWS which I love reading so much. Thank you so much!**


	33. Chapter 33

Paige had spent the full night packing her clothes, hearing Seth standing outside the door telling her that he would move out and she could stay, but she wasn't staying here, she wasn't staying next door to the woman that her now ex-boyfriend really wanted the full time they were dating. She'd rather just up and leave back to New York and pretend she never even met Seth. She couldn't believe he had come out with all of this, what did she ever to do to deserve having her heart broken in two. She was the type of woman that didn't let things get to her, but this had got to her.

She finally had two suitcases filled with her things, figuring she would send someone over to collect the rest of her things, not ever planning to come back. She wouldn't put herself through the struggle that it would take.

She barged through their room door, practically knocking him out of the way and carrying the heavy suitcases downstairs, probably not the wisest thing to do in her condition that Seth still didn't know about, she refused to tell him now, she believed him wanting to have a baby with her was just an act, if he didn't want her, he wouldn't want this baby.

"Where will you go?" Seth asked, worried that Paige would struggle on her own.

"Back to New York. I called my brother, he'll be coming to pick up the rest of my things, so good luck." Paige smiled Seth's way, having told her brother about what a dick Seth had been to her.

"Can I at least hug you goodbye?" Seth asked her, she may not have believed him but he really was going to miss her like crazy, he did love her, he just didn't want to hurt her anymore, she could do so much better than to settle for him.

"No." Paige said, "I hope you know what you're doing. Don't you think AJ's been through enough, she doesn't need you ruining her marriage? You may have lost me, but don't lose them… you don't know how amazing friends they all are." Paige looked sincerely at him, opening the door to where her cab had come and was parked waiting for her, "I really loved you, you know." Paige bit her lip, "I'll be fine without you though." She smiled, walking out of the door with her suitcases.

"_We'll_ be fine without you." She muttered quietly to herself, handing her suitcases to the driver, watching him put them in the trunk of the car.

Seth had already closed the door, not bearing to watch her drive away. He sank down the closed door, kicking the table in front of him down and clasping his hands together, banging his head against the door, not knowing what to do or where to go.

Paige was just about to get into the car after handing the driver the suitcases and telling him where she was headed when she felt a pair of tattoo'd hands spin her around.

"Where are you going?" Punk asked her, having woke up this morning and seen Paige loading suitcases into a cab out of his window. It might not have been his business, but it looked pretty bad.

"Back to New York." Paige smiled.

"Why?" Punk shook his head.

"Just ask Seth." Paige nodded, not explaining anything, "Oh and Punk…" Paige said as she watched Punk about to leave back to his house.

"Yeah?" Punk nodded.

"Look out for yourself. Everything isn't always as it seems." She said, opening the car door and getting into the car.

Punk just watched in confusion as the car drove away with Paige and her unborn child. He wasn't sure what it was meant to mean, but he was sure it would all make sense was Seth explained.

He wasn't going barging into Seth's house right now, he figured he'd let Seth have some time to himself first before he went in and asked him what had gone on.

Punk walked back into his own house where AJ was still asleep as the twins were. He thought Seth and Paige were happy, he assumed they were when Seth told him they were trying to have a baby, then he figured something had happened concerning that, maybe she couldn't get pregnant, they had a fight? Tons of things were running through his mind but not once did he suspect that it was because Seth had some sort of feeling towards his wife.

_Later that night…_

AJ woke up with a banging sore head, everything seemed to have been building up and pounding around with guilt in her head. She was so ashamed with how she acted but especially how she felt towards Seth. How could she ruin a love like her and Punks?

She felt it physically hard to cuddle up with Punk on the sofa whilst the kids contented themselves with whatever games they were playing with on the floor, talking every once and a while to their parents about random subjects. She couldn't think straight, everytime Punk asked her a question she had to ask him to repeat it. She just wasn't awake.

"So I think Paige and Seth have fallen out." Punk said.

"What?" AJ said immediately this time, hearing every word now as she went a little stiff.

"Well I don't assume it's anything big. I saw Paige loading suitcases into a cab this morning. She told me I had to ask Seth, figured I'll ask him tomorrow." Punks shrugged.

"Did she look upset?" AJ asked curiously, wondering if Seth had told Paige about their kiss and that had provoked her to up and leave, she felt sick with herself.

"A little bit, not too terrible." Punk said, his eyes on the TV while his arm was securely around his wife who was hugged into him.

"Do you think Seth has done something?" AJ asked, just trying to see where Punks head was it with the whole thing.

"I don't know. Probably. Seth can be a dickhead sometimes." Punk said, "But I owe him a lot."

"What do you owe him?" AJ asked, scrunching her nose up in confusion.

"Well he was the one that realised you weren't dead. If it wasn't for him you'd probably still be with Joe." Punk said.

AJ felt like her ears were ringing. "I thought it was you that came to help me?" She asked.

"Yeah, I did. But Seth found out that it was a fake death. He was determined to prove to me that you weren't dead." Punk said, "He's a dickhead, but he's a good dickhead." Punk smiled, really owing a lot to Seth.

AJ felt like everything was a lie. She thought it was Punk that figured it all out, that came to her rescue. If it wasn't for Seth, she would still be in Chicago with Joe doing god knows what.

_Later that night…_

It was just around 2am and the full house was silent. AJ couldn't sleep. All she could think about was Seth and how alone he must be feeling right now, but she knew she shouldn't be giving him sympathy.

She still couldn't believe that it was him that figured out she wasn't actually dead. He had practically saved her. She knew she had Punk to thank for the physical side of things, but if it wasn't for Seth, she would have still been over in Chicago with Joe touching her and forcing her on him while Punk lived here believing she was dead.

She crept out of bed and grabbed the zipper from the bottom of the bed, putting it on and making sure not to disturb Punk who was fast asleep in bed, his snoring echoing the room. She knew once Punk was in a deep sleep, he wouldn't wake up until the morning.

She walked out of their room, tiptoeing in her socks along the hall, slowly walking downstairs and heading for their locked front door, opening it and walking out in just her socks. It wasn't like she had a far distance to walk. She locked the door behind her and walked across the dry grass, not knowing she was being watched from across the road, walking on into Seth's house which was carelessly lying wide open for anyone to come in.

She walked into the house and put her hood down, looking downstairs at first to check for Seth. Heading on upstairs to try find him when she realised he wasn't downstairs.

"Seth…" AJ said quietly, walking through the upstairs hall and into the bedroom which she only assumed was once shared by Seth and Paige. She walked in and seen him lying on the bed, his eyes wide opened, fully clothed, on a different planet until he seen her.

"AJ…" Seth said, sitting up and standing off the bed, "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"It was you…" AJ pointed to him, a few tears escaping from her, "You were the one that saved me." She said, not really believing it until she just said it out loud there.

"What?" Seth shook his head.

"You realised I wasn't dead, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be in Chicago, in his bed…" She said, watching him nod and look down at the ground.

AJ walked over to him, tilting his head up and looking into his brown eyes that stared into hers. She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't care. All she knew was that if it wasn't for him, she would still be in Chicago, dying a slow and painful death.

"Thank you." She whispered, cupping his cheeks and pressing her lips against his without hesitation. She didn't know what was becoming of her, but the more she put into perspective of what Seth had done for her over the years, how much he'd been there, it drove her to go further and further until her clothes were on the floor.

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	34. Chapter 34

Dean was up at the crack of dawn with Faye the next morning, taking her downstairs with him and feeding her, letting Renee get some peace and quiet to sleep. He loved having private moments to himself with just him and his daughter, the way her little eyes lit up when she seen him the way she rested her head on his bare chest after being fed. She was such a precious little thing, the greatest thing to happen to him besides meeting Renee.

He was bouncing her lightly in his arms, doing his look about outside when he seen something a little odd. He looked through the blinds with Faye in his arms, watching AJ as she left from Seth's house, her hood up and her face down, walking into her own house and shutting it behind her. It was the strangest thing he'd ever seen, but he was sure it didn't mean anything.

"Hey." Renee smiled as she walked into the living room.

"You're up early." Dean said with shock, knowing how much Renee loved to sleep.

"I know, I couldn't sleep." She folded her arms, stroking her daughter's cheek as she lay in her father's arms peacefully.

"Check this, just seen AJ creep out of Seth's house and into her own. Hood up and head down." Dean frowned to Renee.

"What?" Renee shook her head, "I saw her last night, I got up for a drink about 2am and I saw her go into his house." She said, looking at Dean just stare back at her in confusion.

"She's been there all that time?" Dean asked Renee, not really knowing how this made sense.

"Well obviously." Renee said, "Apparently Seth and Paige had a bust up, maybe she just went over to make sure he was ok." She shrugged.

"You don't think…" Dean tilted his head.

"Oh, don't be so stupid." Renee slapped Dean's shoulder at the ridiculous thought.

"I'm being serious." Dean said, "It's not like it hasn't happened before." He said.

"What?" Renee looked up at him, her eyes nearly popping out of her head, completely confused now.

"Nothing…" Dean scrunched his nose up and began to walk away to the kitchen.

"Get back here." Renee warned him, watching him pause and turn back around.

"Alright, fine… but let me put her down first." Dean rolled his eyes, wishing he knew when to shut his mouth. Then again, this was his future wife, she did have a right to know everything that he knew.

_With AJ…_

AJ had got into the house and immediately headed upstairs, going straight into the bathroom and locking the door over, leaning her back against it as she closed her eyes. That small hole that she had built when she kissed Seth back had just turned into the biggest hole in the world and she felt like she was falling down it. She had just slept with another man and this time it was much worse than the first time her and Seth slept together, this time it wasn't because she was vulnerable or upset, this time she wasn't just Punk's girlfriend, she was his wife, she slept with Seth because she wanted to and that was the worst part.

She questioned herself on how she could have done this, why she would have wanted to do this to Punk who had helped her through possibly the toughest months of her life, she didn't have an answer for it yet, there was still this unknown feeling inside her that was pushing her to Seth whilst her heart was trying to hold her back to Punk.

She put the shower on and stripped her clothes off. His body still lingered on her and a part of her didn't want to wash it away.

_Later on…_

Punk funnily enough never suspected that AJ had left their bedroom at all the night before, he just thought that she had gotten up early and went for a shower. He did notice that she had been rather quiet, but he didn't expect anything bad had happened.

"That piece goes there I think…" Punk said, crossed legged on the floor with his two children, helping them finish the jigsaw that they had attempted together, randomly sticking pieces together without even checking.

"Here?" Sam asked, putting the piece down in a completely different place to where her father pointed.

"No, down there." Punk pointed, watching her nod and put the piece in the correct place.

"This piece goes here?" Charlie asked, fitting the right piece for once in its right place.

"Yeah, well done buddy, high five." Punk raised his hand as his son slapped it with his, continuing to try and piece the rest of it all together.

AJ watched through the gap in the living room door, running her hands through her hair as she mentally kicked herself in the gut, why would she have gone and done this, she loved Punk, she didn't have to question herself on that, but something for just a minute had drove that love away and all she seen was Seth, now all she felt was disgusted and ashamed, not worthy of Punks love or her children's love for that matter. This wasn't what mother's done. She was truly ashamed of herself.

_With Dean and Renee…_

"But… why would she do this to Punk? She has no reason to go out of her way to hurt him." Renee said, sat on the couch across from Dean who just shrugged.

"I don't know, but I'm telling you… once I see her…" Dean bit his tongue, not believing that AJ would do something like this to his best friend.

"Hey, it takes two…" Renee looked at Dean sternly, still being AJ's friend, she was convinced that AJ was doing this for a very good reason, if she was doing it for fun or to be sneaky, she would be totally shocked and disgusted. Punk was a good guy, he fucked up from time to time but everyone knew how much he loved AJ.

"She was the one that went into his house during the night." Dean said, "We could be wrong…" Dean put his hands to the side in a calming way, "But I know guilt when I see it and her face had guilt written across it when I saw her this morning." Dean said.

"I don't think we should get involved, Dean." Renee shook her head, "This isn't any of our business." She said, "I just hope we're all still friends at the wedding." She sighed, climbing over on top of him, hugging into him tightly, "Let's just let them figure this out on their own." She said, not wanting to get caught up in any drama.

Dean however couldn't let this go. This was his best friends, messing with his other best friend. He wasn't standing by to watch.

_Later that night…_

"You ok? You've been quiet all day." Punk said, just having put the kids to bed and sat down next to his wife, noticing she had been extremely quiet today.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, feeling him wrap his arm around her.

She wanted so badly to come clean to him, tell him she had fucked up, big time, but she knew he wouldn't take it lightly, not only would their relationship probably be over, but Seth would be a dead man.

She had an excuse the last time that was very valid. She was upset and mad at Punk the last time, this time, she done it for her own pleasure, she had no reason to be mad at Punk, she could use the fact that she wanted to thank Seth for saving her, but that wasn't the thank you she was supposed to give him, a hug would have been fine.

She was stuck again in that bubble of unknown, not knowing where to turn or where to go. She was incredibly annoyed with herself, more than annoyed, ashamed… that didn't even do it justice. She had never messed up so bad. She had a husband, a family, a loving home that not many people had yet she was creeping out of her house through the night to go be with another man. It just wasn't right, and Seth had to know that before she gave off any mixed signals.

_3am…_

AJ had crept out of bed again, making sure not to make any noise what so ever, leaving out of the door and walking into Seth's house where again, he had left the door open, almost on deliberate, as if he knew she would be back for more.

She walked upstairs, hugging her arms and finding him where she found him the night before, in his bedroom, this time he looked like he had been waiting on her. He didn't seriously think history would repeat itself.

"Took your time." He said, standing up off the bed, watching her back away a little.

"Seth, I can't do this." She shook her head, "This isn't fair on Punk. He doesn't deserve this." She said, she yet again felt so attracted to him, like if she came any closer to him, history _would_ repeat itself.

"He doesn't deserve you, AJ. That's the problem." Seth said.

He still loved Punk, he was his best friend, even though he might not have been acting like it recently, he just couldn't ignore these feelings that seemed to be scarily getting stronger for AJ the more and more he seen her.

"And you deserve me?" AJ asked, throwing her hands lightly in the air, "I deserve nothing from the way I've acted these past few days." She said, wanting him to know that what they done was unforgivable, yet he didn't look interested, he seemed to keep moving closer to her.

"No one is going to find out, AJ." Seth shook his head.

"It's not about that." AJ shook her head, "I just came here to tell you that this stops here. It doesn't go any further." She drew a line with her hands.

"Why ignore these feelings we have? We shouldn't need to." Seth said.

"Because I'm married Seth, I have children… I shouldn't be acting like this." She said, turning her head to the side, ashamed to even look at him, feeling him tilt her head up to face him.

"I know you feel something when we're together." He said, "Don't ignore it." He whispered, reaching down and catching her lips with his, the same lips that had just kissed Punk and her children goodnight. He knew this was unacceptable, unforgivable, but he couldn't help what he felt, clearly she couldn't either.

_With Dean…_

Dean had deliberately stayed awake to see if he could see AJ sneaking off again into the night, which by surprise he did. It made him so angry, why would they do this to Punk? He knew he might have been wrong, maybe AJ and Seth were planning something for Punk or AJ was just comforting Seth since Paige left, but he wasn't buying it, he had to see it with his own eyes.

He stuck on some sweats and a t-shirt, shoving on some shoes and a jacket, walking across the road and down the drive of Seth's house, walking into the open door and checking downstairs first, being as quiet as he could so his presence wasn't known. Once he realised no one was downstairs, he slowly headed upstairs, taking each step slowly and quietly.

He knew Renee would kill him if she found out he was doing this, but he had to see it, he had to know with his own eyes that his two best friends were doing what he thought they were doing. He would be disgusted with both of them, especially AJ.

He walked towards Seth's bedroom, hearing noises, not talking noises however. He didn't hesitate to burst right in through the door. His instinct immediately told him he was right as he looked on at Seth and AJ, AJ standing in her underwear while Seth stood topless, both of them looking at him in horror.

Dean was trying to convince himself all this time that he was being stupid and that AJ would never do something like this, but here he was standing at the door, AJ quickly gathering her clothes up and hiding them over her body which only had underwear to hide her in. Dean wondered how long this had actually been going on for, why on earth did Seth encourage it and why would AJ do such a thing? Especially when Punk and her children slept just next door. He didn't know what to think, he wished he just took Renee's advice and didn't get involved now.

**I get some of you are a tad annoyed now about how the story is going, but just stick in, it'll pay off. Thank you so much the REVIEWS, you guys are awesome!**

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	35. Chapter 35

"Dean, what the hell are you doing in my house at this time?" Seth asked, rather mad they had been busted, knowing it was for the best however, or else he and AJ may have wound up in bed again together.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Please, finish…" Dean waved his hand out in front of him, "You two are disgusting." He spat.

"Dean please, this isn't what it looks like." AJ sighed.

"Oh really? Tell me what it looks like?" He said, "How could you, AJ?" Dean said, such disgust in his voice as he shook his head, "After everything Punk helped you through, after how patient and kind he's been with you after we got you back. He doesn't deserve this." Dean said, very sturdily on Punks side.

"He isn't all innocent." Seth said.

"No one fucking is." Dean scowled at his friend, "But he tries his fucking best with you…" Dean pointed to AJ, "And the twins, he loves you so much that when he finds out, I don't think he's going to be able to cope." Dean said in all honesty. He knew if Renee told him she had been sleeping with his best friend, he would flip and lose it.

"AJ, you know he doesn't deserve this." Dean pointed to AJ who was still hiding herself with her clothes, feeling really awkward now that she was half naked and two of Punks friends were in the room, "So… how long has it been going on? Few weeks, months, since you got back? When…" Dean looked from AJ to Seth, folding his arms, not leaving the room until he had answers and their word that they would tell Punk like he so rightly deserved.

"No!" AJ shrieked, "This isn't some sort of affair, Dean." AJ shook her head, "It happened once and yes… maybe it would have again tonight, but I promise you… I'm going to tell Punk, you have no idea how much guilt I am feeling. How ashamed of myself that I am." AJ said.

"Why do it then? You have everything AJ… do you-do you not love Punk anymore? What is it?" Dean asked.

"Of course I love him." AJ said, looking so angry at Dean, "He's the only one I love." She said loudly, wanting Seth to hear it as much as Dean. She purposely came round here tonight to tell Seth no, but again… those weird, messy feelings inside her intertwined her into him until she seen a pattern beginning to start. She was just so glad that Dean had come in when he did otherwise that hole she was digging was just going to get deeper and deeper.

"Then why are you doing this?" Dean looked at AJ, so confused with where she was at right now, "And why the hell are you encouraging it?" Dean looked at Seth, "Punks meant to be your friend."

"Yeah, he is." Seth nodded, putting his t-shirt on violently, "But I can't help my feelings, can I?" He said.

"AJ… I want you to go home, I need to talk to Seth, alone." Dean said.

AJ just nodded, not messing around with Dean, she knew how angry he was, she quickly took her clothes and ran out of the room and into the toilet to get ready, leaving as soon as she was dressed and running downstairs, closing the front door behind her as she walked across the grass and into her own home.

She couldn't believe she was about to sleep with Seth again, she didn't know what was happening her, she wanted to erase these past few days, go back to when Seth kissed her and immediately push him off her and go straight to Punk. But instead she encouraged it and gave in.

_With Dean and Seth…_

"I hope you know what you've done." Dean said, putting his hands on his hips, looking at Seth take a seat on the bed.

"Of course I know." Seth sighed, putting his palm to his forehead in frustration.

"That's our best friend's wife, why would you do this Seth? Why would you do this to Punk?" Dean said.

"I'm not doing it to deliberately hurt him." Seth looked up at Dean like he was an idiot, "I have these feelings for her, I don't know what they are yet, but the more and more I see her, the more they grow. I hate myself, I know Punk will never forgive me, but I couldn't help myself." Seth shrugged.

"Didn't it feel wrong? Didn't you think about the consequences? Or where you just thinking about your dick?" Dean spat.

"Look, I don't need you in my ear. I already feel bad enough. I've lost Paige, I've no doubt wrecked a perfectly good marriage, I've wrecked my friendship with Punk, I've wrecked my friendship with you no doubt, but I don't control my feelings… Punk doesn't know how lucky he is, she needs someone to worship her, tell her they love her every single day of every single minute." Seth said.

"And don't you think Punk does that?" Dean said, really annoyed that Seth was doubting the love Punk had for AJ.

"C'mon… he was too gullible to believe she was really dead." Seth threw his hands up in the air.

"He was a mess then, he was told by officials that she was dead, he told us… he held her and thought she was really dead, that doesn't mean he doesn't love her. AJ has been through enough as it is, she doesn't need you messing with her." Dean said.

"She came to me the first night. She came into the house and came upstairs into my room. I didn't go looking for her, it was her that had intentions, not me." Seth said.

"And you didn't do anything to stop her?" Dean said, knowing he was right. "I know this is none of my business… but you're messing with my friend here and I can't tell you how much this is going to hurt Punk. He's going to feel so betrayed and hurt by not just his wife but his best friend." Dean said, "And the twins… well you might have just caused their mother and father to split up." Dean said, not too sure if AJ and Punk's relationship would survive through this.

"This isn't all my fault." Seth said.

"I know it isn't. I just expected you to know better. You, of all people…" Dean shook his head, "I hope you're prepared to go face Seth like a man and tell him that you slept with his wife, because I'm not." Dean said, "I hope that you can all work something out, I really do… but I'm not betting on it. I'll see you around." Dean sighed, walking out of the room and heading downstairs, walking out of the house and heading back to his own house where he seemed to get the most peace and quiet. He figured he would now hibernate with Renee and Faye until things had calmed down… _if_ they calmed down.

_With AJ…_

AJ had come home and avoided going to bed, not feeling like she could face Punk even though she would have to at some point. She needed to tell him, she knew it was the right thing, even if there was the slightest opportunity of saving her and Punks relationship by telling him, she was going to take it. She knew she didn't deserve to have another chance, it was just unforgivable, every single disgusting part of it.

There was no explanation for her actions, just the fact that she was caught up in the moment of thinking about how kind Seth had been to her over the years, and finding out he had figured out her fake death, it was enough to break the boundary between them. But she knew that wasn't an excuse worth having, she may have just said she wanted to sleep with Seth because she felt like it, there was no real excuse or explanation and she knew that would cause her the perfect relationship she was in.

She knew her and Punk would always have some connection through the twins, but knowing she might have lost him as her husband, her everything, it brought tears to her eyes and a panic to heart, but she had no one to blame but herself. She didn't even have a right to blame Seth, she was just as much to blame.

She was sitting down on the couch, her head buried in her hands with guilt and embarrassment, knowing she'd lost everything over this. She heard footsteps slowly creep downstairs. She knew it was time. She couldn't lie to him anymore, he didn't deserve it, he didn't deserve any of this.

"Why you up?" Punk whispered as he walked into the living room, scrunching his face up at the sudden light in his eyes, "You alright?" He asked, wondering why she was down here at 3am.

AJ just shook her head and bit her lip, holding back her tears. She had no right to cry, she knew she wouldn't get any sympathy for it, Punk would show her anything but sympathy after she confessed to him.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked her, walking towards her, not caring if it was 3am, his wife looked like she needed him. He had no idea what was about to hit him in the face, not a clue.

"You're going to hate me." She said, looking at him as he shook his head and laughed slightly.

"I could never hate you." He said, "What's the matter?" He asked her.

"Just know that… I didn't do this to hurt you, I love you so so much and… I am so sorry." She said.

"Sorry for what? AJ… you're scaring me." Punk said, tilting his head back as he looked at her with unknown eyes, not knowing what she was about to hit out with, certainly not thinking it could be as bad as what she was about to say.

"I…" She took one final gulp of guilt, "I s-slept with Seth." She said, her full body shaking as if rejecting the words, knowing that this was just the easy part, explaining it was going to be so much harder and by the look on his face right now, the confused yet demon face on him, staring at her in disbelief, not believing her twisted words, she was in for a torturous night, and she deserved it.

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	36. Chapter 36

"What?" Punk laughed, he genuinely suspected he was hearing voices.

"I know, ok." AJ nodded, "I know you are going to hate me so much, but please just let me explain…" She held on to his arm, refusing to let it go as she watched his blank face look from left to right, unsure of what she was actually talking about.

"You're lying to me… you wouldn't…" Punk shook his head and stood up from the couch, out of her grasp, his whole body refusing to take in the words she was saying.

"I did." She whispered, looking down at the ground, "I know you don't want to hear me but please, just let me explain everything, and then you can do whatever you want, just let me explain." She said.

"W-When?" Punk asked her, his hear throbbing with ache and pain, feeling like she had just tugged and pulled away at it.

"Two nights ago." She said, watching him shake his head and close eyes, not wanting to believe this, after everything was so good, after their life with their children was so perfect, why did she feel the need to go ruin everything. He was pretty sure he hadn't upset her at any point, their relationship had never been better in his opinion and yet she clearly didn't feel the same. He just couldn't deal with this, it was bad enough the first time, but again, especially when she had no reasonable excuse. He felt so betrayed and hurt, like she had no regard for him or their children for that matter.

"Why would you even…" Punk shook his head, running his hands through his hair and closing his mouth abruptly, his body filled with so much anger that desperately wanted to lash out on her, of course never daring to lift a finger to her. He couldn't believe this, their marriage had always been so loyal and honest since the day they said I do and now, after everything they had been through and conquered together, she was telling him that she had slept with his best friend next door, who he wasn't even going to get started on.

"I know you don't want to hear what I have to say…" AJ stood up and walked hesitantly towards him, feeling the anger practically lash out of his body and hit against hers, watching him put his hands behind his head and pace a little on the one spot.

"Why would you do this?" He looked at her painfully, "I… Have I done something?" Punk looked at her, not knowing if he had said or done something to set her off into Seth's bed, he didn't think so.

"I don't know, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. This is has nothing to do with you or what you've done, this is all on me." AJ said, putting her hand to her chest in fault, watching him as his chest went up and down as he paced, his breathing getting more difficult by the minute.

She spoke up again, "He… He kissed me on the twin's birthday… in the kitchen and…" AJ couldn't continue as she suddenly began talking to herself, watching Punk flash by her in a rage, heading for their front door as she ran after him, knowing exactly where he was heading and doing everything in her power to stop him.

"Phil!" AJ yelled, the dark night still upon them, trying to run after him as he briskly walked across the grass, his fists tightening every few minutes as he thought about Seth coming on to AJ. He didn't need to hear an explanation from AJ, frankly he didn't care, not right now at least.

He barged through the front door, walking through to the living room and staring across at Seth who was looking directly at him, suspecting this was coming soon.

"I fucking warned you!" Punk shouted, "I warned you the first time!" Punk shouted, pulling Seth from the couch and tackling him to the ground in a collision of fists.

AJ put her hand over her mouth and looked on at Seth holding his hands up over his face in protection, looking as Punk ladled into him on the ground, not giving him any chance to fight back, every little piece of anger coming out and lashing against Seth. All he needed to hear was that Seth came on to AJ, that was a good enough excuse to hit him never mind an excuse for sleeping with his her.

AJ had no idea what to do, she couldn't stop Punk, she wouldn't stand a chance. She left the house and ran across the road, having no care that it was 4am, banging at Dean's door recklessly, not knowing where else to go, watching Dean answer with bed hair, sweats on and no t-shirt.

"AJ… what the…"

"It's Punk… he's going to kill Seth…" AJ pointed to Seth's house across the house, watching Dean step out of the house and run across the road, darting into the house to see Punk and Seth all over each other, kicking and scraping at each other. He'd never seen such a painful sight, none of them had ever had a fight this bad.

"Break it up, c'mon…" Dean said, grabbing Punk a waist, getting a nasty elbow to the face from him, not deliberately of course but that didn't matter to Dean.

He grabbed Punk by the shoulders, pulling him back with all his force, watching Punk stumble backwards and fall down as Seth used the wall to help him to his weak feet.

"Cut it out!" Dean shouted at them both, standing in the middle and pointing to them with each arm.

Punk stood up and dabbed his mouth that had been busted open from the collision of Seth head butting him, turning to AJ who stood timidly at the side, knowing she had caused this.

"You came on to my wife!" Punk shouted to him, his voice breaking with the anger, "You slept with my wife…" He said, never being so angry and hurt.

"Yeah, I came on to her… but she was the one that came into my house and into my bedroom to sleep with me!" Seth shouted back, not caring if AJ was in the room, it was the truth.

Punk balanced on one foot to the other, turning to AJ and hazing his eyes over at her, "Did you?" He said.

"Yeah." AJ whispered with a nod, watching Punk put his hands on his hips with a nod, feeling so embarrassed that his wife had physically removed herself from the bed they shared, to jump into another man's.

Dean still stood in the middle of Punk and Seth, "You two…" Dean pointed to AJ and Punk, "You need to go home and talk." He said, "You." He pointed to Seth, "Get in the kitchen." He gritted his teeth.

AJ watched as Punk walked by, deliberately pushing by her on purpose, escaping out the door and back to his own home to try and find some calmness from somewhere, not finding it possible.

AJ had no choice but to follow him, this situation wasn't going to sort itself out.

She followed closely behind him, walking in through he shut door that he had slammed in her face, not running away from this the way he was wanting her to, she would give him the best explanation she could give him, it may not work, but at least she could say she tried.

"Phil… please, let me talk." She said, watching him take a seat on the couch, holding his knuckles with pain, not as painful as his heart was. He just couldn't believe this had really happened, he couldn't believe AJ had done this, he thought she loved him, after everything they had been through.

AJ seen him holding his knuckles and took it upon herself to go into the kitchen and fetch him some ice to hold it on, coming back in and handing it to him, feeling him reach out and snatch it off her without any concern for the nice gesture, holding the ice to his knuckles and leaning his head back on the couch as he sighed.

"What'd I ever do to you?" He laughed coldly, looking her way with disgust.

"I didn't do this to hurt you…"

"Oh please April… you should have thought about my feelings when you were in bed with him." Punk shook his head.

"It's you I love, Phil. It's always going to be you." She sighed, "There's no one madder at me than I am." She said, "Seth came on to me and… I don't know what came over me… I just, I kissed back… you have no idea how awful and disgusted I felt.." She spoke, trying to speak from deep down, trying to get through to him in any way she could.

"You felt disgusted and awful with yourself so you decided to go sleep with him?" Punk nodded, not seeing any logic in what AJ was saying. He knew she had no relevant excuse for him.

"It was after you told me that Seth had figured it all out, that I wasn't dead… I was just thinking about how I would still be in Chicago if it wasn't for Seth, I was thinking about the kiss, I wanted to know what his feelings were for me… I went to see him and it just… it just happened." She said, "Phil, please believe me… I didn't mean to hurt you, that was the last thing I wanted to do." She said.

"I just don't get why you would do this to me. And don't give me the 'I wasn't thinking' bullshit." Punk spat, "You knew fine well what you were doing and who you were doing it with." Punk said.

"I know." AJ nodded, "There isn't an excuse good enough to justify sleeping with anyone else. I just want you to know how bad and ashamed I am. It made me realise how much I don't deserve you, the love you give me. The patience and kindness." She sighed, "I… I'm so sorry Phil…" She said, not knowing what else to say.

"You know… once, once I could overlook, it was painful but I could understand why you done it, we weren't married, we weren't happy with each other at the time, but why now? I thought you were so happy, everything was going so well for us, we… we were good." He said, never assuming that his wife would betray him like this, ever.

"I know…" AJ said, quickly sitting down beside him and taking his good hand, feeling him lifelessly give her it to hold, without any affection, "We were… I was so happy. You were making me happy, don't think that you weren't." She warned him, "He just… He conflicted me, I went over to his house, he was upset about breaking up with Paige, I wanted to thank him for finding out that I wasn't dead… it just all happened." She said.

She felt him pull his hand away from her and run it over his face.

"I don't think I can do this, AJ." Punk shook his head, "Not again. Not when you don't have a good enough excuse for me. Either you give me a valid reason to why you done this, or you tell me you done it… because you wanted to." He looked at her.

AJ didn't know what to say, she knew what the right answer was but she couldn't bring herself to say the words, she couldn't see her and Punks relationship ever being the same after this and she knew it was all her fault. She'd hurt him so bad and even though he was trying his best not to show it, she could tell how much pain he was feeling.

"That's what I thought." Punk nodded, after a long pause from AJ whose head was buried down to the floor. He wanted her to feel every single bit of shame and disgust that she possibly could.

AJ watched as he stood up, heading out of the living room.

"Where are you going?" She asked quickly, standing up.

"I thought I knew you." Punk turned around, "I thought we were forever." He said.

"We are. You do know me… please, baby…" She sighed, reaching out to him as he took her hands away from him.

"No…" He looked down upon her, trying to intimidate her for the first time, "I don't know you. April wouldn't do this to me. Not after everything we've been through, everything I've helped you through." Punk said, "Was Seth the one who physically got you from Joe's reach? Was Seth the one who held you when you cried at night? Was Seth the one who slept by you while you cried and screamed for help in your sleep? Was he?!" He yelled at her, watching her jump at his shrill voice.

"And what about when you found out I was pregnant… were you there for me then?" She looked up at him, knowing she had no right to use that against him, she was the one in the wrong, nothing she said could make what she done ok.

"Don't use that against me." Punk pointed to her with anger, so annoyed and upset that she would use that against him, just because she knew she was in the wrong.

"We lost our child because you couldn't support me." AJ said, "Don't pretend you were perfect. I know I am in the wrong here, I know I've fucked up and lost you, but you have no idea how much I've had to go through these past few months, with or without you…" She looked up at him, watching him trying to speak, beating him to it again, "I was raped, I was continuously forced to sleep with another man, I was drugged, I was pregnant, you wanted me to get rid of it the first minute you found out, not even bothering that there was a chance of it being yours, you forced me to do a paternity test, I lost the baby, for a full week my body bled and bled out the only good thing that could have possibly came out of this." She said, watching him look down for a moment and straight back up at her, "So I'm sorry if for one night my mind was somewhere else, if I wasn't thinking about your or myself for that matter but I am so sorry for hurting you, Phil."

"You can't use any of that against me. We're married, no matter what we're meant to be loyal to each other, no matter what has happened. If you were so down and upset, you could have talked to me, it's what I'm here for." He said, "But you've blew it… I can't look at you the same, I can't speak to you the same, I won't be able to touch you the same." Punk said, "I think you should leave the house for a bit. Go clear your head, quite frankly I don't want to see you, not right now." Punk suggested, he was mad before, but her using everything that had happened against him, like it was his fault, it made him even madder.

"You're throwing me out?" AJ looked at him, a lump in her throat.

"Did I say that?" Punk stared at her, "No." He answered his own question, "I don't want the kids getting caught up in our fighting. Take my credit card with you to pay for wherever you stay. I'll call you." He said, about to head upstairs to drown in his own sorrow when she spoke up again.

"What about the kids? You can't keep them from me." She said sternly.

"I never I said I would. I just don't want to see you right now. You've damaged every single bit of trust I had in you, I never knew you could stoop so low." He spat. "I'll call you when I'm ready to talk again. Watch yourself out there." He nodded, walking away from her and walking upstairs. He knew the gentleman thing to do was to leave himself and have AJ stay in the house, but he didn't feel that was necessary, she was in the wrong, she could go.

He walked upstairs and into his room, hearing her follow behind him, her presence just irritating him already, so angry and upset with her it was unreal.

"What do you want?" He turned to her, wondering what she had to say now, not realising she was up to pack a bag for his request of her leaving for a few days.

"I'm getting a bag." She scowled at his unnecessary snapping.

"Right." Punk mumbled, walking over to his side of the bed and sitting down, looking at himself in the mirror, frightened at the reflection.

He listened with his back to AJ, hearing her throw clothes in a bag, practically hearing her tears drop on the floor as she continued to sniff her emotions away.

She knew she had brought this on herself, she'd full blown out cheated on her husband and she was paying the price.

Once she had gathered a bag that was quickly thrown together, she walked towards the door and looked back at him, his back facing her as she muttered to him, "I love you."

She waited, looking at his reflection in the mirror, watching him stay silent and quiet, not saying a word. She nodded, accepting that was the way it was going to be, walking out of their room, wondering if it would ever be the same again, shutting the door behind her and taking a deep breath, walking into Charlie's room and leaning over him as he slept peacefully, oblivious to his mother and father's fight, his soft hair over his forehead, the same colour as Punk's. He was exactly how she imagined Punk would look like as a child, cute and cheeky, a mouth as big as Jupiter and a heart even bigger.

She kissed him on the head and whispered, "Mommy loves you." Brushing his hair away and smiling, leaving his room and going next door to her daughters, wanting to make sure she gave them both a kiss, incase of not seeing them for a little while. Even just a few days without her kids was tough.

She leaned over Sam the same way she did with Charlie, kissing her sweet head and smiling at her gorgeous, angel like face, so much beauty at such a young age. She was perfect and still the best surprise she could ever have got given in life. "I won't be gone for long." She said, tucking the covers over her and walking out of the room, heading downstairs and reaching for the car keys that were on the unit beside the door, taking Punks credit card from his wallet that sat next to the keys.

She looked up the dark stairway, realising that nothing would ever be the same again and it was all her fault. With that, she opened the door and left, shutting it behind her and driving away into the road of guilt and loneliness. Soaking in everything that she had done and deserved for doing. She was so stupid, so stupid to have risked breaking a bond like her and Punks. So stupid.

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	37. Chapter 37

"Are you happy now?" Dean said, standing in Seth's kitchen as he watched his friend clean his face and make up a bag of ice to hold on his swollen eye from Punks continuous punches.

"Well obviously not." Seth grumbled with his hoarse voice, never seeing Punk look so angry at him, and he'd made Punk angry before. He didn't think there was any chance of being Punk's friend anymore, never mind best friend. He didn't deserve to be his friend after what he had done.

"You have no idea how mad I am." Dean said, even though not involved in the centre of everything, he was still emotionally hurt by AJ and Seth's actions towards Punk, he couldn't believe they would do such a thing.

"I'm mad too Dean. I'm mad with myself. Just…" Seth raised his hand in pause and closed his eyes, "Just leave me alone." He said quietly, leaning over the kitchen sink as he looked out the window, not knowing if things would ever be the same.

Dean just nodded, still topless and in sweats, walking through the cold and empty living room, leaving the house and shutting the door behind him, trailing through the front garden with his hands in his pockets, knocking at Punk's door, waiting a few minutes for any movement before walking in the house and shutting the door behind him.

"Punk." Dean shouted in a quiet way up the dark staircase, watching a gloomy figure appear and start to slowly walk downstairs.

"What is it, Dean?" Punk sighed, reaching the bottom of the stairs and looking across to his friend.

"I just came to see if you were ok." Dean said, looking at Punk walk by him and into the living room, watching him as he walked through to the kitchen, lifeless with no energy to even respond.

He didn't see any signs of AJ, he figured she had drove off since the car wasn't in the drive, he assumed it was probably all too much for her, either that or Punk had thrown her out. Maybe both.

"Well, I'm not ok." Punk said, recklessly pulling out a chair from the kitchen table and sitting down, slouching over the table, his chin resting on his folded arms as he watched Dean pull a seat out across from him.

"Where is AJ?" Dean asked curiously.

"I told her she should leave for a few days. I don't want the kids to hear us fighting… plus, I need time to calm down." Punk said. His heartbeat was still going rapidly fast and he was still a little shocked by everything.

"Did you guys talk?" Dean asked, just trying to be there for Punk, be someone he could talk to about all of this, someone that wasn't AJ or Seth.

"Yeah." Punk said, running his hands over his face, "She gave me the same old same old." He shook his head, "She wasn't thinking, everything that had happened was just too much for her…" Punk tutted at the explanation AJ gave him.

"Don't you think you guys should work this out? Instead of avoiding each other." Dean suggested.

"I don't want to look at her. I just… I see her, with him… laughing and smiling, doing things that we were only meant to do in life." Punk said, really struggling to come to terms with all of this, so hurt, physically and emotionally. "I don't think we can ever be the same after this." Punk shook his head, frightening himself by saying it, but it was the truth, he didn't think he could be with AJ after what she had done, the reasons she gave him weren't good enough to just brush aside, he was beginning to think she slept with Seth because she wanted to, because something inside her told her to.

"Don't say that, man." Dean said, "You guys might be able to sort things out." He said, he hoped.

"I don't think I can, Dean." Punk shook his head, "When she told me, I thought I was dreaming. I never thought she would do this. Full blown out cheating." Punk shook his head.

"She has been through a lot these past few months." Dean said, trying to shine a light somewhere, anywhere, just to make Punk feel any better, if that was possible.

"Are you here to defend her or are you here to keep me company?" Punk looked at him.

"All I'm saying is, separating from each other for the short term isn't going to help anyone."

"And what about for the long term?" Punk looked up to Dean.

He didn't think he could continue with their relationship, not after this, he liked to think that they could conquer anything, he and AJ, it was always them against the world, but never against each other. He couldn't find any way to overlook this, he was hurting so bad, inside and out. He couldn't continue being with her, not after this.

_The next day…_

Punk had text AJ later on in the day to come back home, that he wanted talk to her and that it was urgent. He'd spent all day getting the kids tired out so they would take their naps when AJ came round, to give them some alone time to speak. He knew what he had to say would not be easy for AJ, but it was for the best, for his best anyway.

He had to admit, it was nice to see her, but then again, it just brought it all back that his wife had cheated on him through the night with his best friend. He still couldn't believe it and had a hard time sleeping last night, constantly replaying how things would have looked with AJ and Seth, how Seth had got to see AJ the way he was only meant to see her, it kept him awake all night.

"Where are the kids?" AJ asked as soon as she followed Punk into the kitchen, having not slept all night either, lying awake and thinking about how stupid and idiotic she had been to risk losing a love like her and Punks, which she betted she already had.

"They're taking their naps upstairs in our room… my room." Punk shook his head, watching AJ just tilt her head in confusion, "We need to talk." Punk said, sitting down at the kitchen table where he sat with Dean until early hours of the morning, watching AJ sit down across from him.

He was over the worst of things, but it still hurt to think about everything, Seth coming on to AJ, AJ creeping out of their house for more, it put his stomach in knots.

"I thought you wanted to have some time with me gone." AJ said, holding herself tightly, not sure what she was going to expect, preparing herself for the worst.

"I did… but I slept on it, thought about it…" Punk tilted his neck, left to right, looking across at AJ, knowing that this was for the best. If their relationship was the best it could possibly be, AJ wouldn't have slept with another man. Fact.

"Thought about?" AJ waited on him.

"I think… I think it's time to part." Punk said, looking across at her as her eyes got teary, watching her look down to hide herself from him.

AJ expected it, but yet it sounded so unrealistic to her. She never thought her or Punk would ever be apart, no matter what happened. She'd just ruined the best thing that she ever had.

"I understand." She nodded to him, she knew where he was coming from, he had every right to make this decision.

"I never wanted to do this. But I don't think we can be the same after this, I know I can't." He said. He wasn't going to abandon her, forget she ever existed, rip the kids from her and pretend he never met her. All they needed was time to part as husband and wife, for the time being anyway.

"You have every right." AJ said, "But… you'll let me see the kids though?" She asked innocently and timidly, not feeling herself around him anymore, not feeling good enough to be his wife anymore.

"Of course I will." Punk said, never daring to take the kids away from her. He watched her take a sigh of relief, standing up with shaking arms, using the table to help her to her feet.

"I best be off then." AJ said, refusing to accept that this was the way it was going to be now. Did he want a divorce? Would they live separately? Would the kids be told that mommy and daddy don't want to be with each other anymore?

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I just can't do this, not after what you've done." Punk said, standing up with her.

"I get it." AJ nodded, she deserved this, she should have thought twice about stripping her clothes off with Seth. This was her own fault.

"It's just the way it has to be. Regardless…" Punk paused as he stared in her eyes, "I still love you." He said, still loving all of her, it just wasn't the same.

"I love you." AJ nodded, blinking as a quick tear rolled down her cheek.

She figured she would have to buy her own house now, the kids would stay with her some nights while they stayed with Punk on the others. It bummed them both that they were turning into the parents they always were frightened to be.

Punk would always financially help her out, as well as the kids, he would sort her out with a new house for her and the kids, help her move her things in, but after that, it was going to be Phil Brooks and April Mendez who just apparently had twin children and were deeply in love once. Punk couldn't go on in their relationship after what she had done. He just couldn't, and he was glad AJ understood that. They could always still be friends, right?

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	38. Chapter 38

It had been a few weeks since everything had kicked off at home and AJ had found a house not far from where Punk would be. She didn't want to leave or move out, it felt wrong and stupid, but it's what Punk wanted and she was willing to give him what he wanted, she'd put him through enough pain.

She hadn't seen Seth since that horrible night. She didn't plan on seeing him, she was too ashamed and embarrassed. The only thing that seemed to keep her smiling was getting to see her kids every day when she went around to her house, or old house now, to collect her things, making her and Punks room look rather bare and cold without her things sitting around.

The twins did ask a few times why mommy was moving to a different house, but April never knew what to say, so she just told them that it wouldn't be for long, which she hoped it wouldn't be. She already missed Punk like crazy, being alone was a scary thing.

She'd spoke to Punk a few times whilst moving into her new house that he had sweetly paid for and helped make it as homely as he could.

Truth be told, the thought of AJ living alone for Punk was hard, he didn't like to know that she was alone in an empty house, but he wasn't in a position to have her around the house, things had went too far and he just couldn't forgive her. Maybe one day they could find their way back to each other, but he wasn't so sure. Maybe they just had to be that split up couple with kids who went back and forth from dad and moms house.

But unfortunately for Punk, something else was standing in the way of him parting his ways from AJ and concentrating on his children.

He had just put the kids to bed one night, packing their bags for AJ to pick them up in the morning and take them to stay with her when he heard a knock at the door. He assumed it was Dean since he had been coming around every now and then to see how he was, Seth knew better than to knock on his door.

But it was AJ, standing at the door with a worried smile, waiting for him to let her in.

"AJ, its late… are you ok?" Punk asked, opening the door wide and letting her in, watching her walk straight in and into the living room.

Punk wasn't angry at her anymore, he had just accepted the facts and let her deal with the consequences. He put all his attention to the twins and tried his best to not think about how the love of his life had betrayed him so coldly and that they now shared not only different rooms, but houses on his request. It didn't seem like it should be right but to him it was what was best for them both. There was no exception for what she had done.

"I'm ok." AJ nodded, turning around to face him as he walked into the living room behind her, closing the door over and folding his arms.

"Are you round for more things?" Punk asked curiously, wondering why she had come round so late and abruptly.

"No… I'm actually here to talk with you, I won't take up much of your time, I just… I need to tell you something." She said.

"Listen… just because we aren't…" He pointed to them both, "Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean I don't have time to listen to you… I'll put the kettle on." He said, walking into the kitchen and sticking the kettle on, grabbing two mugs from the cupboard.

He may not have felt the same about AJ anymore, he may not have wanted to be together with her, but he did still have a connection with her, not just through the twins, but through life. He was always here to listen to her, even after everything she had done.

AJ was glad that Punk was being like this, he could have completely blocked her out of his life and that wouldn't have been ok, she wanted him back the way she normally had him already, but she knew that wasn't what he wanted, she understood that though. This was what she deserved.

She took a seat in the kitchen, pulling out a chair at the table while she watched Punk in the kitchen, in a pair of sweats and a Ramones t-shirt, his cubs hat on his slicked back hair.

"Sorry if it's too strong, didn't have much milk left." Punk said, sitting down and passing her the blackened coffee.

"Oh… you wouldn't mind if I had tea?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Eh…. Sure." Punk said, very rarely seeing AJ drink tea, taking the cup of coffee and transferring it quickly with tea, taking a seat across from her and staring across at her.

He did miss her, he missed her every minute she wasn't around, but he just couldn't live with a woman who was a cheat.

"So, what is it you needed to tell me?" Punk asked her, looking across at her as she tucked her hair behind her ears and clenched her body together.

"I'm… well, I'm sort of… I'm pregnant." She said, looking up at him as he swallowed loudly, his palms sweating immediately as he leaned back on the chair and put his hand to his forehead.

"Is it… is it mine?" Punk asked, refusing to go through all of this again.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I'm already two and a half months along. I went to the hospital and got it checked." She said, saving him the panic. She only slept with Seth a few weeks ago, she must have been already pregnant which sickened her.

"You're pregnant." Punk repeated to himself, his mind all over the place, not believing this. All he could think about was how exciting this would have been if they were both still a loving couple together.

"I know… I know this doesn't change your feelings for me, I know this doesn't change what I done, but I just thought you should know." She said.

There wasn't anyone more shocked than her when she found out, but part of her was excited, for all the obvious reasons, another baby with Punk may be what they needed to get back to normal. But of course she would not use this baby as a weapon to jump back into Punks bed. If he still wanted them to be split, then they would still be split.

"You're right… It doesn't change what you done." Punk agreed with her, "But it does change a lot…" He said, "I'm not taking you back just because you're pregnant." He said, not wanting to sound harsh but wanting to be completely honest with her. Of course he was going to love this baby just like the loved the twins, he'd love AJ just as much for bringing her or him into the world. He loved AJ, regardless, he just couldn't forgive her, not this fast, pregnant or not.

"I know." AJ nodded, "I'm not using this against you for you to take me back. I just wanted to know how you wanted to do this." She said, understanding him completely. This was just the way it was going to be from now on.

"I'm going to be there for it all, ok?" He nodded to her, lifting his hand over and taking hers, "Just not like a husband way that I know you want me to be." He said, being blunt with her, knowing she understood which he was glad of.

"So we're just… just friends, having a baby…" She shrugged with a small chuckle, watching him smile back.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, something like that.

He had to admit, he was so excited and overjoyed that AJ was pregnant again and he was going to be there for her one hundred percent like he always would be. He just wasn't willing to forgive and forget the hurt she had caused upon him.

"I better be going then, it's getting late." She smiled, standing up as he done to, both of them staring at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

AJ couldn't help feel that she should be kissing Punk while he swung her around in his arms while they celebrated the new life they had created, but that just wasn't going to be the case, she'd ruined the chance of that happening.

"Look…" Punk put his hands in his sweat pants pockets, looking up at her as he twitched his nose, "I don't think I can ever forgive you for doing what you done, but you're pregnant and that is more important to me than some stupid one night stand you had with my friend, I'm more interested in our new son or daughter." He smiled to her, "What you done don't make me any less happy than what I would be if you hadn't slept with him." He said.

"I'm just glad you still want to be involved. Having a baby wouldn't be the same without you." She said.

"Come here." Punk waved her over, watching her stumble forward and into his arms.

He was still so painfully annoyed and angry with her, so hurt and destroyed inside, but she was carrying his third child and it felt no different from the love he had when she was pregnant with the twins. Maybe this baby would help them, he didn't think so, he didn't think there was anything that could ever help him deal with AJ sleeping with Seth, but this baby was definitely something to smile about.

AJ felt so content to be in his arms, even if it was just a 'friendly' hug. To be in his arms again was everything to her. She knew having a baby whilst not being together or on good terms wasn't exactly ideal, but he was going to be there for her and that was all she needed to know.

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	39. Chapter 39

"The twins with April?" Dean asked, joining Punk in his kitchen the night after AJ had told him about being pregnant. He had yet to tell Dean.

"Yeah." Punk nodded. He appreciated Dean coming round every now and then to check on him, it was nice not to feel lonely, especially when the twins were with AJ.

"This just doesn't feel right." Dean shrugged. It was strange walking into Punks house and finding no twins running around at his ankles, no AJ smiling as she clung to Punk. It just wasn't right to have them both split up and away from each other.

"Trust me, I don't like it any more than what you do." Punk said, "Here's the thing though…" He paused, standing against the kitchen counter across from Dean who had his arms folded whilst looking at him, "AJ's pregnant." He said.

"She's pregnant?" Dean let himself go against the counter, "Is it yours?" He had to ask.

"Yeah. She's already two and a half months along." Punk said, "She came round last night and told me." He said.

"So, what are you going to do?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." Punk sighed, taking his cubs hat from his head and running his hands through his hair, "Obviously I'm going to be there for her, but I don't want to let her back in, not after what she done." Punk shook his head, "We can still be friends." He shrugged.

"You really aren't going to forgive her, are you?" Dean said.

"Would you?" Punk raised his eyebrows to Dean, "She had no right, no excuse, we're married, we're meant to be with each other and only each other. You have no idea how bad it feels to know she was enjoying herself with him, his hands all over her, her hands all over him… it's fucking me up." Punk said, leaning over the counter and holding his head at the temple.

"She loves you man. I know you can't see it right now, but she does. You guys are having another baby, you should be doing this together, not as friends, you should be kissing her and hugging her, talking to her stomach while she's sleeping in the same bed, she shouldn't be twenty minutes away in a house, alone, pregnant with the twins. Regardless of what she has done, don't make her feel alone." Dean said.

"I'm not. I told her I would be here for her, I am. I'll go to the scans, help her with the nursery, buy things with her, be there at the birth. I'm not going to abandon her with my kid." Punk said.

"And going to all these scans, shopping together, painting the nursery… you're just going to be friends whilst doing all of that?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "You don't get it when I describe to you how angry and hurt I am with her, do you?" Punk said, standing up straight from the counter and looking at Dean.

"I know that you don't want to be with her right now, I get that… you have every right on earth to be mad and upset, you have a right to want your space and time alone from her, but the twins, they aren't going to appreciate going house from house, wondering why their mom and dad don't talk to each other all of a sudden. My parents split up when I was born, trust me… going to my mom's house on weekdays and then spending weekends with my dad wasn't good, it was like I had two different lives, I had two different sets of friends, two different personalities… This isn't fair on them." Dean said.

"They're only three, Dean." Punk tutted, "They won't understand." He shook his head.

"They aren't always going to be three." Dean said.

"I know, and when the time is right, they'll get told why mom and dad don't live together anymore." Punk said.

"Oh right." Dean nodded sarcastically, "Are you going to tell them that you broke up with mommy because she slept with Uncle Seth?" Dean asked, watching Punk scowl at him.

Dean just sighed and looked at Punk sympathetically, "I just want you to be happy, man. I know this is hurting you but you love AJ, you always will, think about where her head was during everything, think about everything she's had to go through, think about the third kid you guys are going to have, don't let him or her be born into this mess, fix this before things get too late." Dean smiled to Punk, trying to give him the best advice he could, "You have no idea how upset Renee is, the wedding is in 10 months and she still thinks everyone is going to be fighting." Dean said, watching Punk sigh.

"I don't think I can be at the wedding if he is going to be there." Punk said.

"Funny enough the wedding isn't about you or Seth or AJ for that matter." Dean said, getting rather angry at Punk, "It's about me and Renee, and if none of this is sorted in 10 fucking months, don't bother coming." Dean said, grabbing his jacket from the kitchen table and walking out of the house, getting so frustrated with everything.

Punk just stood in the kitchen, thinking about what Dean was saying. He knew on some level that this wasn't fair on the twins, they deserved a happy home with two parents under the one roof, but he would love to see Dean in his shoes right now. He was still so hurt and upset by AJ and what she had foolishly done, he didn't want her the way he used to anymore. Yes, he still loved her, but just not in the same way that he used to. He would be there for her whilst she was pregnant, he would help her through the birth and proceed to be friends with her after their third child was born, but he was pretty sure there would be no physical relationship with them ever again.

_With AJ…_

"Will I put it on the fridge?" AJ turned to Sam who was sitting at the table after just drawing a very pretty picture for her mother, Charlie sitting beside her still drawing his.

"Fridge back home." Sam smiled, all her grown teeth showing as she smiled her sweet little smile towards her mother.

AJ just sighed, looking at the picture. The kids of course didn't realise yet what had happened between her and Punk. Of course they hadn't, they were only three. They just figured this was another place where they got to say at, but only with their mother.

"How about we put it on this one? That way every time you come round you can see it?" AJ asked her, watching her just shrug and nod, giving her mother approval to put the picture up on the fridge.

AJ had to admit, her house did feel small and cold, it felt like she shouldn't be there, especially whilst pregnant and with the twins, she just wasn't happy, but every day she knew that all of this was because of her.

Once the kids were in bed later on that night, falling asleep like angels for her, she called Punk about the scan she had appointed with, in three days, the first time they would get to see the baby. She was sure he wouldn't want to miss it. She called him and let him know.

He sounded alone and tired, as if he was lying on the couch in the dark with nothing to interest him, his wife and kids in a different home twenty minutes away. She just wished they could work something out, something that didn't end in her crying or him shouting, something that could result in her coming home, trying over again. But she knew she didn't deserve that, and she knew Punk wasn't going to give her that.

_Three days later…_

If things were awkward when she told him she was pregnant, things had just got to the whole new level of awkward. Sitting in the waiting room in the hospital was torture. She sat beside him in silence as she proceeded to watch young to old couples come and go with smiles on their faces, kissing and hugging in her face, all the while she sat with the one person she never thought she would be awkward with, ever.

"Are the kids with Dean?" AJ asked, trying to break the silence with anything.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, his foot tapping on the floor with nervousness. It had been so long since he was doing this with the twins, three and a half years to be precise.

"Can I have them tonight?" She asked, always feeling like she was the one who had to ask to get them.

"I was planning to take them…" He paused and looked down at her hopeful face, she shouldn't need to ask permission to have her kids for the night, "Sure." Punk nodded.

"If you have plans with them, it's fine." AJ shook her head.

"I was going to take them to the cinema… but it's fine, we'll go another night." Punk smiled.

"Oh, don't be stupid. Take them." AJ insisted.

"No." Punk said sternly, "It's fine." He nodded to her.

"Thanks." AJ smiled to him, hugging her arms as she looked around, "They must be running late." She suggested.

"April Brooks…" A nurse called from standing outside a room.

AJ stood up, the Brooks part of her name ringing in her ear, pretty sure Punk was cursing upon the day he agreed to give her his name. Nevertheless, he was right behind her when they walked into the room.

It felt weird being back lying on the bed with cold gel on her stomach, the last time she was here she had unknown twins inside her and a boyfriend who loved her with everything he had, a lot had changed since then.

"Is this your first?" The nurse asked, hooking the probe up to the monitor and rolling it along AJ's small stomach, looking over at Punk sitting beside AJ.

Punks natural instinct was to take hold of AJ's hand, smile and look at the monitor for their baby to appear, but something held his hand back from latching on to hers.

"No, we have twins." AJ announced, her neck crooked as she looked round at the monitor, the picture of their baby becoming clearer to them as the nurse got the probe in a good position.

"You must be a super mom." The nurse laughed.

Punk could only agree. AJ was the best mom he could possibly wish for his kids.

"Everything looks perfect. You're 11 weeks along, the baby looks great." The nurse smiled.

Punk couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face when he seen the clear picture of the baby. Nothing held him back this time from taking AJ's hand, regardless of what was going on, this was a moment they shared together, not individually.

AJ just smiled as she felt Punks hand interlocked with hers as he stared in awe at the monitor with their third child displayed on it, healthy and perfect. At the end of the day, they both realised that their love had created this gift of life, regardless of where that love stood now.

After spending another few endless minutes looking at their baby on the screen and collecting the sonogram picture, they headed out of the hospital, walking through the halls and out of the main exit where they stood awkwardly.

"I'll drop the kids off to you later." Punk said, facing her just outside the hospital entrance.

"Ok. I'll see you then." AJ nodded, the awkwardness filling them again as they faced each other.

Punk just nodded as they both turned on heel, Punk going left to walk home while AJ went right to her car, both parting separate ways for their journey home.

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	40. Chapter 40

Punk had took the twins round to AJ's later on that night, still feeling incredibly happy, taking glimpses of the sonogram in his pocket every so often, a large smile appearing on his face when he did.

"They haven't had their naps today, they'll probably be a little cranky." Punk said, sitting down the twins bags on the couch as he watched them both proceed to push each other to the back door, heading out to play in the smaller back garden compared to their normal house.

"Great." AJ smiled sarcastically, "Thanks for letting me have them tonight… I get lonely here." She hugged her arms.

"I can stay for a bit if you want… I don't have plans." Punk said, not the brightest idea, but then again, he was only staying for a friendly chat, maybe discussion about the baby and further plans for them, take it from him, nothing was going to happen with them, not for a long time, maybe not ever.

"You don't have to." AJ shook her head in a whisper, wrapping her cardigan around her at the front and folding her arms to keep it closed in place, not bothering to button it up. She sensed he was only offering to keep her company because she said she felt lonely.

"I do." Punk smiled, "You know I still care about you, right?" He looked at her.

"Do you?" AJ asked him, a relaxed expression on her face, not feeling alone or scared whilst he was here.

"Of course I do. What you done… it hasn't stopped me from loving you or caring about you." He said.

"Then why am I here? Living away from you, away from the kids…" She whispered, looking up at him.

"Because you hurt me, I didn't think you would ever do something like this, especially when we were so happy." He shrugged.

"I was just so caught up in my own world, thinking about everything that had happened over the past months, my head was up my own ass." She said, "I know this is all my fault." She admitted.

"It is." Punk said bluntly, "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you and hug you, kiss your stomach, cuddle with you in bed… but every time I think of being with you again, I just immediately think of you and him." He said, "How am I meant to forgive you?"

"You don't have to." AJ shook her head, "I don't deserve forgiveness." She said, "As long as you're here for the twins and the baby, that's all I ask, you have every right to hate me." She said.

"I don't hate you." Punk whispered.

"You should." AJ said, watching Punk just tilt his head and look upon her, not knowing what to do or say next.

"We just have to take one day at a time. Maybe… maybe I can find it in my heart to forgive you one day… but that day isn't today." He looked at her, watching her nod.

AJ just nodded, continuing to hug her body into her, looking out at the kids in the back garden.

"You alright here?" Punk asked her, moving away from the serious conversation.

"I'd rather be home, with you. But, it's ok." She nodded, "Why don't you stay with them while I make their dinner? Play with them outside. I don't… I don't want them thinking that mommy and daddy don't speak to each other anymore." AJ suggested.

"Ok." Punk agreed with a small smile.

For the rest of the night, Punk played with the twins outside continuously while AJ watched with a smile from the kitchen. As long as she had them, all three of them, she was ok. She may not have had Punk the way she wanted to, but she still had him near and around and that was more important to her. He even stayed for dinner to the kids request and things weren't as awkward. There was normal conversation and it felt nice to just be with him and feel like he wasn't mad, which she knew he still was, but he wasn't showing it. He was smiling to her and laughing with her. It was going forward and that was all she could hope for.

Punk didn't intend to stay at AJ's for that long, but it was what she done to him, she conflicted and intrigued him, her smile was endless when he agreed to do something so simple like stay for dinner. He knew how much she was hurting, being all alone and left with the guilt of everything. He wanted so badly to just tell her, let's start over again, but he just couldn't. Not right now, not anytime soon. Her actions this time were not forgivable.

When he got home later on, walking down the drive to the front door of his house, he heard the one person he didn't ever want to hear again, approach him.

"Punk…" Seth said, lightly jogging towards Punk, hoping he didn't get another punch in the face, watching Punk turn around and look at him.

"Get out of my sight." Punk spat to him, not even wanting to look at him never mind listen.

"I'm sorry, ok." Seth said, "I haven't got a chance to speak to you yet." He sighed, "You have no idea how bad I felt, she wasn't mine, she was never mine and I knew that… I'm so sorry, knowing that I've fucked up this friendship for good is killing me." Seth said.

"Sorry is just a word, Seth." Punk said.

"W-Where is AJ? The twins?" Seth said, not having seen them around recently.

"AJ has moved out, the twins are staying with her tonight and… she's pregnant." Punk said, watching him click on like he did very quickly.

"She's pregnant… how?" Seth shook his head.

"Well, you know that thing me and wife do, you know… we sleep together, we cuddle, I tell her I love her, only you do know about that… don't you?" Punk flared his nostrils at Seth, standing outside his front door.

"I'm sorry man…" Seth said, not knowing how many times he could say it until Punk believed it, "For what it's worth… I'm happy you guys are having another kid." He smiled.

"So am I." Punk agreed with him, "But I would be happier if I could forget that you fucked her whilst she was pregnant." Punk spat, "Get out of here, Seth." He just sighed, not wanting to talk with him anymore than what he already painfully had.

"Look, I am sorry. I can't tell you enough. When she came over, she kissed me… I just, I froze, I don't know what happened to me, I wasn't thinking, otherwise I would have pushed her away… I know how much she means to you, I never done it to hurt you… and when she came back round the second night and…"

"What?" Punk picked up his head as he looked at him through his hazed eyes.

"What?" Seth asked him, not knowing what he was talking about.

"There was a second night?" Punk gritted his teeth.

Every single bit of sympathy he felt for AJ whilst coming home about her being all alone and left with the guilt, it had gone. No one told him she had went round for a second time to Seth's. This changed everything.

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	41. Chapter 41

"You can sleep in mommy's bed tonight." AJ smiled, the twins starting to fall asleep on one side of AJ's bed, both of them tucked into each other, Sam's head leaning on Charlie's shoulder as they both looked at their mother with tired eyes.

"I'll be up soon. Get to sleep." AJ said, pressing a soft kiss on each of their heads, leaving the room and closing the door half way behind her, slowly walking downstairs to be met by a continuous amount of knocks at the door.

She walked off the last stair and walked straight to the door, unlocking it and opening the door, looking at Punk standing rather agitated and annoyed, seeing him let himself in, walking straight past her and into the living room.

She closed the door with confusion and walked into the living room, watching him pace around with his hands by his side.

"Is everything alright?" AJ asked.

"Did you or did you not go round to see Seth after you slept with him?" Punk said, looking at her with plead that she would say no.

AJ had tried to dodge her way around the subject of her going round to Seth's and almost sleeping with him again, she didn't think Punk needed to know that.

"What?" AJ just shook her head, folding her arms and looking at him with a guilty instinct.

"Did you… Did you go back for more?" Punk screwed his full face up as he looked at her with disgust yet again.

"No…" AJ shook her head, "No, of course not… I went round the next night to tell him about how much of an idiot I was, I told him I loved you and that what we done was a mistake." AJ said, telling the truth, she did say all of that… "But…"

"But…" Punk whispered as he looked at her, the green in his eyes never being so green.

"He started telling me about all these feelings he had for me, he was telling me that I had feelings for him when I knew I didn't, he was getting inside my brain again and… he started kissing me, I kissed back and it was happening again… I just stopped thinking."

"Spare me the bullshit, AJ. Did you sleep with him again?" Punk asked, looking at her like she was pathetic.

"No." AJ said bluntly, "Dean came in, he seemed to have sussed out that something was going on between us." AJ said.

"And what if Dean never interrupted… what would have happened then, AJ?" Punk asked, walking closer towards her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

AJ just shrugged, not having an answer for that, she didn't know what would have happened if Dean never came barging in that night, she dreaded to know what would have happened.

"I don't know you anymore." Punk pointed to her as he shook his head, "You would never have done this to me… what… what the hell happened to you?" He looked at her, not knowing what had become of her, was it all her mental scars showing, did she do this because she blamed him for everything that happened to her? He had no idea why she would stoop so low and hurt him like this. Finding out that she slept with Seth was bad enough but realising she had went back for more was just too much.

"I don't know what came over me. Please Phil…" She took hold of his arm, feeling him push her away.

"Don't touch me." He said, pushing her away like she was some disease, not wanting to be touched by her and her poison.

"It's you I love… I want to be with you. Seth… he, he got in my head, he was trying to manipulate me and… he won, maybe… maybe for one minute I did feel something with him but it was nothing compared to what I have with you. I love you." She said.

"Then why did you sleep with him in the first place?!" Punk yelled, "Something in your mind must have told you that it was wrong whilst you slept in between his bed sheets." He said.

"That's the problem! My mind was lost, I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it. Everything just came flooding back to me, Joe, being raped, losing the baby, losing myself… I'd give you one day to try and cope with the amount of things I've had to cope with before you fall down and cry." She said.

"None of that is a good enough reason for sleeping with Seth. I was there for you, through thick and thin, I held you whilst you cried, put you back to sleep when you had nightmares and you repay me by sleeping with my best friend." He threw his hands up in the air, not knowing what was wrong with her.

"If you're just here to shout at me then you can just leave, the kids are sleeping upstairs." AJ said, not in the mood to fight with him anymore.

"I'm not going anywhere until you give me a good enough reason…"

"I had no reason!" AJ shouted as she interrupted him, "Do you want to know why I slept with Seth? Do you want to know why I went to him during the night? Because I wanted to!" She yelled at him, "He is the only one that knows what I was worth, the only one that told me I should be treated like a princess." AJ said.

"Yeah and I always treated you like a piece of shit, right?" Punk looked at her with a sarcastic scowl.

"I have been there for you for everything, I've always had your back, I never ran from you, I never got scared of the problems we had to face."

"You never ran from me? You ran to Seth, does that count?" He said.

"Just get out. If you can't talk to me with some respect and decency then you can leave." She said.

"I don't have to show you respect." Punk said, walking right towards her, looking down at her, nearly touching skin.

"I'm carrying your child. Yes, you do." AJ looked up at him, his attempts of scaring her was not a success, she wasn't scared of him, she knew he would never touch her, especially when she was pregnant.

"For what it's worth. If you weren't, there wouldn't be anything stopping me from leaving you, for good." Punk said.

"Why don't you… I'll be fine without you. The twins will be fine without you." She said.

"You have no idea how weak and pitiful you really are, do you?" Punk said, wanting her to feel small and useless like she had done to him.

AJ swallowed loudly whilst looking up at him, not afraid to look him in the eye, "I do know. I know because it was you that made me the person I am today. _You_ brought me into your cruel world, _you _got me raped, _you _lost our child and _you _are the reason I slept with Seth."

Punk knew that if he didn't step away from AJ right now, he would do something he would regret for the rest of his life. He stepped back from her and walked by her.

AJ heard him walking upstairs and immediately went after him, it was her night to have the twins. Not his.

"What are you doing?" AJ asked, quietly but loud enough for him to hear, chasing him as he walked into her room.

"Taking my kids home." Punk said, pulling the covers back and lifting Sam and Charlie up out of bed, hoping they stayed asleep during the process, feeling their heads rest against either one of his shoulders.

"You can't take them from me." AJ said, walking after him, stepping in front of him at the stairs.

"I can do whatever I want." Punk said, "Get out of the way." He said, looked at her stand her ground at the top of the stairs, holding on to the banister as she looked up at him.

"No, put them back." AJ said.

"AJ." Punk said, starting to lose his patience.

AJ had no regard from the vanishment of floor behind her, her heals keeling over the top stair as she reached out to grab him, her hand slipping from the banister as she tumbled back.

"AJ!" Punk shouted, trying to grab on to her but realising his hands were full with the twins fast asleep.

He watched as she hit the bottom of the stairs, her head smacking against the floor, her hand on her stomach as a natural movement on her way down, her eyes closing from consciousness as he stood at the top. It was then when he realised she was pregnant and in so much danger.

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	42. Chapter 42

"April…" Punk whispered, looking down the stairs at AJ lying cold at the bottom, not moving.

He quickly put the twins back in the room where he had got them, placing them down on the bed and pulling his phone out, calling Dean as he ran downstairs, two at a time, sometimes three, reaching AJ and crouching down to her whilst he told Dean to hurry up and get round and watch the kids.

He put the phone down and rolled AJ over on her back, not seeing any blood coming from anywhere which was a good sign.

He took to his feet and picked her up into his arms, opening the front door with his arm and walking outside, opening the car door and placing her in the back seat, leaning over her and putting the seatbelt on over her, hearing her mumble as she stirred around in the seat, soft moans of pain as she clutched her stomach.

"I'm going to get you to the hospital, ok… hang in there." Punk said, kissing her head and shutting the car door, looking at her through the window, watching her curl up in pain, her full arm clutching around her stomach.

Punk was just about to phone Dean to hurry up when he pulled up around the corner.

"Is she alright?" Dean asked, getting out of his car and locking the door, walking over to Punk who ran around the car and opened the door.

"Just watch the kids. They're upstairs sleeping." Punk said, getting into the car and reversing out of the drive, looking at AJ in the rear view mirror, watching her as she opened and closed her eyes. She just prayed she was ok, her and the baby.

_Later on…_

Punk paced outside of the hospital room that they were examining AJ in, praying and hoping that the baby and AJ was ok. They couldn't go through the loss of another child again. It was hard enough the first time.

He was reflecting on the things he had said to her, regretting being so harsh and horrible, getting in her face and closing her in. He had no right, even if he was angry.

If he hadn't had his children in his arms, he would have grabbed her as soon as he seen her start to fall, he would have fell with her if he could have, just to protect her, but the twins were in his arms, he couldn't do anything but watch.

"Is everything alright?" Punk said as soon as he laid eyes on a nurse approaching him.

"She's fine." The nurse nodded to Punk, "However, we're just about to do a sonogram to see how the baby is, it looks like she's bled quite a bit. You can go in with her." The nurse said, leading Punk into the room where AJ was lying on the bed, scared and frightened of what she might be told.

Punk walked round her side, noticing the lump on her head to where she hit it, watching her just frown towards him. He could tell how scared she was.

He stood beside her, holding her hand tightly and not letting it go, watching as she laid her head back and refused to look at the monitor or nurse, scared of what she might hear or see.

"Is everything ok?" Punk asked curiously, looking across at the monitor, watching the nurse study the black and white picture on the screen, a smile appearing on her face.

"Everything is fine." The nurse smiled, "We've got a steady heart beat here…" The nurse smiled, pointing to the screen.

AJ let out a sigh of relief and covered her free hand over her face, hiding the tears of joy that she cried, her other hand being held by Punk who was equally as relieved.

"Some women do bleed in the first trimester of their pregnancy. Your fall wouldn't have helped either. But you and the baby are going to be fine. Just be a little more careful around the house." The nurse smiled, "I'll give you both a minute." She said, leaving the room after wiping AJ's stomach from the cold gel.

"Are you ok?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah." AJ whispered, "I thought… I thought for a minute that I'd lost…" She took a deep breath.

"Shh." Punk said, wheeling the monitor over closer to them, "Look, it's fine, the baby is fine, April." Punk smiled, watching her smile at the monitor.

AJ just smiled as she looked at the monitor, the baby so visible even though so tiny, so healthy and perfect, all she wished for.

"Can we just pretend that everything we said…"

"I'm sorry." Punk said, "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have got in your face and said what I said, you don't need all this right now, you should be happy and healthy for the baby." Punk said, realising that all this stress he was putting on AJ must be affecting their baby in some way and that was the last thing he wanted.

"You had a right to be mad." AJ said, still feeling him hold her hand tightly.

"No." Punk shook his head, "I didn't. You're pregnant. You shouldn't have anyone shouting in your face." Punk said, "From now on, no fighting, no shouting. We concentrate on this baby. Ok?" Punk said, vowing to keep his cool for the baby's safety and AJ's for that matter. He knew on some level that she might have deserved to be shouted at, but she didn't deserve to be scared in hospital because she was trying to get her kids back off him. From now on he wasn't going to yell and get annoyed with her, they would be civil with each other for the baby and the twins sake.

"Thank you." AJ whispered, really appreciating him laying off her for the time being. She really just wanted to move on and keep her baby safe.

"C'mon, we better get you home." Punk said, laying a sweet kiss on her head, feeling her move up so her lips were in line with his and not her head anymore, both staring into each other's eyes with the love they always had.

Punk just coughed awkwardly and moved back, helping her up off the bed to get her things together.

He had got so worried and scared there, not being able to think about what he would do if something had happened to the baby. It was time to be adults about this and move on, put their attention all on the twins and the new baby.

_5 months later…_

AJ was now seven and a half months pregnant and was mildly satisfied with how things were going. Punk had stuck by his word and never once brought up any uncomfortable talk about what she done with Seth. He kept it strictly baby and twins which she was glad of, although she still really missed lying beside him in bed. She hadn't gone this long without sleeping with him or kissing him.

She couldn't complain about Punks assistance throughout her pregnancy from his vow in the hospital that night. He'd really been a great help with everything and even though she could tell he was still angry with her, he was hiding it rather well with a smile that she loved to see.

The twins were extremely excited about having a new little brother or sister and both argued with each other on what the baby would be. AJ wanted the baby to be a surprise but Punk was too impatient that he had to know. He swore to AJ he wouldn't tell her and he'd kept his word.

"So how are we going to do the room without you giving it away?" AJ asked him, feeling huge and bloated at this point in time, in her own home where Punk was helping her with the nursery.

"How about we just paint it yellow? Works for a boy or girl?" He shrugged to her, unboxing all the furniture they had bought together which wasn't as bad and awkward as what AJ thought it would be. She was really impressed with Punk and how well he was getting on, even through dealing with her cheating.

"Yeah. Good idea." AJ nodded, "Do you need a hand?" AJ asked, knowing he had spent all day yesterday doing the nursery in what she classed as his house now. This baby sure was coming with a price, it was expensive to break up from your wife.

"I'll be fine. This is all pretty heavy." Punk said, not wanting her to carry anything heavy, "Just you go downstairs and see to the twins, I'll be fine up here." Punk nodded to her.

He had to admit, although he could tell AJ was still down and in need for him the way she wanted him, she really was 'glowing' as they said, and looked like the naturalist piece of natural he had ever seen. He really enjoyed spending time with her, learning to not need to feel angry or mad around her anymore, they just had to get on with it, for their kids' sake, and for the baby.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Thank you, Phil." AJ smiled, really grateful for his help, she knew he could have easily tossed her to the side and left her to get on with things on her own, but he was here like he said he would be. She realised that her fight with him and her fall down the stairs a few months ago had really opened his eyes and caused him to step up and just think about being a father and only a father.

She walked downstairs and contented herself with the twins who were going through all different wacky names for the baby, Charlie even suggested naming it after his favourite candy which AJ just laughed at. She was glad to know they were excited about it and even though they were only three, she knew they would be a great help when the baby came.

It was still killing her that she was restricted from Punk from his request, that she wasn't allowed to just have one kiss. He was still her husband. But she knew he spoke well, she should have thought about losing him as her husband when she slept with Seth which now, she couldn't believe she had done.

She hadn't seen Seth since the night she told Punk. Frankly she didn't want to see him, she knew this wasn't his fault but some part of her did blame him, she knew she was just as much to blame though.

She really wanted to suggest to Punk that maybe once the baby was born in two months, maybe they could start a new page, forget what happened before and try again, but she was scared of how he might react to that.

Later on in the night, the twins were put to bed and Punk had decided he had done enough work for the day, spending the majority of the day and night doing the nursery. He came downstairs to say his goodbyes to AJ and that he would come round tomorrow to finish it and to take the twins back home to his to stay, but AJ seemed to want a word with him.

"What's up?" Punk asked, sometimes he couldn't help smile to her when he looked at her and the bump on her stomach, it was incredible to think their baby was inside there, he just wished he could have been celebrating it like a normal couple.

"I wanted to just ask you something. I know you probably don't want to think about it, but I just need to know." AJ said, watching Punk look down at her, waiting for what she was about to say.

"Alright, hit me…" Punk waited.

"I figured that maybe… once the baby was born, we try and… we try and get back to the way we used to be." AJ suggested, just missing him so badly.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"I don't think passing a new born baby to and from two houses is going to be what's best for it. As well as the twins." AJ said, "Plus I… I really miss you, Phil. I'd do anything for you to forgive me." She said.

"April, I can't forgive you just now, not this quick." Punk shook his head, "I told you that we wouldn't talk about things like this, why are you bringing this up?" Punk said.

"I just thought that maybe we could…"

"What? Get back together?" Punk looked at her like she was a fool.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "For our kids, for the baby." She rested her hand on her bump.

Punk seemed to see right through her, not being able to keep his cool for much longer, "You're really using the kids to get back into my bed?" Punk looked at her.

"What?" AJ shook her head, "What are you talking about?" AJ said.

"We agreed not to talk about us until after the baby was born, I don't want to talk about this." Punk shook his head, reaching for his jacket that was across the couch.

"Why can't you just realise that I really miss you." AJ sighed, "I really really miss you and doing all this, I get the kids one night, you get them the next, it's not what I want." She said.

"Yeah well… we don't always get what we want." Punk said.

"Please, just tell me what I can do for you to forgive me." AJ said, her hormones were a mess as of late and she had been getting more emotional and uptight about things, surely he knew that.

"Nothing." Punk shrugged, "You know this. Just drop it, AJ." Punk said, warning her before things went too far. They had been doing so well and were so close to the birth of the baby, he wanted them to be on the same page for when the baby was born.

"No. I won't drop it. Tell me what I have to do. Do you want me to beg? Do you want me to never speak to Seth again? What is it you want me to do?" She said.

"AJ, I don't want you to do anything. Don't you get it? I don't want you back. Just because I'm helping you out, shopping with you and staying for dinner some night isn't for you, it's for our kids and the baby. Do you want to know how many nightmares I still get about you and him?" Punk said.

"So what are you saying? We'll never get back together? This is it for the rest of our lives?" She slumped her hands by her side.

"Yeah, for the time being. Just accept it and move on." Punk said, really wishing she just dropped it already so he could leave.

"Why can't you just give me a chance." AJ sighed, looking up at him.

"Because you don't deserve one." Punk said, continuing to be blunt with her, "Just go to bed now, it's getting late, you're tired and…"

"I just want the kids to be happy, I don't want them growing up with us split up, please Phil… us being apart isn't helping anyone… I know that I fucked up, I know… but please, you have to give me a chance, let me prove to you that it's you I love." AJ said, she just wanted a chance, she just wanted her husband back, she couldn't keep up this 'friend' act any longer.

"AJ…" Punk sighed as he rolled his eyes, "I'm not doing this with you. It's late and I'm tired." He said, zipping his hoody up and walking out into the hall, hearing her walk behind.

"Give me one good reason why you can't give me a chance!" AJ shouted, spinning him around.

"Because you cheated on me, AJ. You full blown cheated on me and you went back for more the next night, why would I ever forgive you for that?" He said, starting to get annoyed now.

"People make mistakes. I can't… I can't keep doing this, I can't pretend you're just my friend, not after everything we've been through." AJ said.

"Then don't be my friend. Just be my ex." Punk shrugged coldly at her, opening the door while still facing her.

"I want to be your wife." AJ said, "Phil, please." She said, not dropping this until he at least gave her a chance, she couldn't be just friends for much longer, it was too hard.

Punk was getting angrier and angrier by the minute, really not understanding why she couldn't see that she didn't deserve another chance.

"AJ, drop it." Punk said.

"You are unbelievable." AJ shook her head, "I want my husband back." She cried, a few tears leaving her as he began to stumble back out the door slowly, still facing her.

"Yeah? Well I want my wife back." Punk said, "It's a boy, go buy some blue shit. Call me when your waters break." He said, turning around from her and walking away down the street, not realising what this was doing to him. AJ cheating hadn't just impacted on his life, but also his personality.

"You horrible man!" AJ yelled at him as she watched him walk around the corner and out of sight, tears rolling down her cheeks as she leaned against the door with a frown.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**

**What is becoming of Punk?**


	43. Chapter 43

AJ walked back into the house, tears streaming down her eyes as she leaned against the door, looking up for a minute and looking at Charlie standing at the top of the stairs, his teddy hanging from his hand and on the floor, his tired eyes looking down at his upset mother.

"Charlie…" AJ wiped her tears quickly, "What are you doing up?" She asked, walking over and walking up the stairs, trying to discard her tears quickly.

"I heard shouting." Charlie said, looking on as AJ reached the top of the stairs, lifting him up into her arms and walking back into the room he shared with his sister.

"Sorry baby, let's get you back to sleep." AJ sighed, laying Charlie down in his bed that he had left from, tucking the covers over him and brushing his hair out of his face.

"Why you crying, mommy?" Charlie asked curiously, noticing his mother shedding a few tears.

AJ just smiled at her gorgeous little boy, not believing she was having another boy, knowing now thanks to Punk's rude reveal to her, "I was just watching a sad movie." AJ smiled, "You get back to sleep, ok?" She smiled, kissing his soft head and walking out of the room, shutting the door over slightly and sighing.

She may have not known when enough was enough there with her conversation with Punk, but he had no right to be so hasty and horrible back to her, especially revealing the sex of the baby when he knew she really wanted it to be a surprise.

She walked into her room, walking by the nursery that Punk had left unfinished, closing her room door behind her and lying down on the bed with a tired sigh, resting her hand on her bump.

When were things going to get better? She just hoped it would be soon, she couldn't keep doing this, she would lose her mind surely.

_Two months later…_

Over the next two painfully slow months, AJ hadn't spoken a word to Punk. She refused to after the way he treated her before. Dean had been taking the twins to and from their parent's house's at AJ's request, not wanting to see or speak to Punk.

Punk realised quickly that what he said to AJ wasn't necessary and that he was way out of line, but he couldn't help it, she just wouldn't drop the topic of them getting back together when she knew how strongly he felt about it. He just wanted to go the full pregnancy being friends and giving their children and new baby a content life, but she couldn't just let it be.

"This is a mess." Dean said, lying on Punks couch, a cushion over his face as Punk sat across on the other couch.

"What?" Punk said.

"This full thing is a mess. Seth has hibernated in his house for seven months, the baby is going to be here any day and you and AJ have still not spoken in two months, I'm getting married in a month and everyone is still fighting… this fucking sucks." Dean sighed, lifting the cushion from his face and looking over at Punk.

"I don't know what to do anymore." Punk said, feeling really down as of late. He did miss AJ, he missed not seeing her face or her bump, but she didn't want to speak with him since the last time they spoke or fought, which he understood. AJ cheating on him was turning him into something he wasn't.

"Please, just get back together with her. Can't you see she's fucking sorry? She was begging for your forgiveness." Dean sighed.

"It isn't that simple." Punk said, "She just doesn't get how I'm feeling." Punk sighed, leaning his elbows on his thigh as he slouched over himself.

"She does. Whatever you're feeling, she's probably feeling ten times worse." Dean said, putting his hands behind his head and getting comfy. "You always said you wanted to give the kids a life with fun and laughter, make tons of memories and I know you're a great dad, but you can't make them happy by yourself, you can't even make yourself happy right now." Dean said.

"I can't get back with her just for the kids, that wouldn't be fair on anyone." Punk said, "My life is a mess." Punk sighed, putting his head between his legs and letting out a loud groan.

"You haven't had sex in nine months." Dean cringed.

"That's the least of my worries right now, Dean." Punk mumbled through his legs.

"Alright…" Dean moaned as he sat up, "Look at me." Dean pointed to his face, watching Punk look up at him as he put his serious head on.

"What?" Punk said, leaning back on the couch.

"You and AJ are meant to be, ok. It's a fact, not an opinion that only I have, you two are the couple that every couple wants to be, I know you love her and I know you always will. She fucked up, big time, who doesn't?" Dean put his hands out in unknown, "Listen here, she's pregnant, women are crazy creatures when their pregnant, I bet you she's lying on the couch crying her eyes out, replaying everything you said to her about not getting back together again."

"But Dean…"

"Shut up, I'm not finished." Dean silenced him, "You're meant to be with AJ, looking at the state of you without her, you can't even iron your clothes… the twins are at that age where things go into their brain, they take things in that will go with them through life, do you really want them to grow up and remember their childhood as their parents fighting, being passed to and from mom and dad?" Dean said.

"Of course I don't." Punk sighed, "What if she does it again?" Punk asked with a sigh.

"I think she's learned from her mistakes." Dean looked at him like he was an idiot.

"I don't know." Punk shrugged, "I don't think things would be the same again. Not after this." Punk said.

"Of course they will. It might be hard at first, but the baby is going to pull you both together and you'll both soon forget why you were even mad with each other. You're turning into jerky Punk and I don't like jerky Punk." Dean shook his head.

"I don't like jerky Punk either." Punk chuckled, letting out a decisional sigh, running his hands through his face in frustration.

"When is AJ due again?" Dean asked.

"Two days ago." Punk said, "I should probably go see her, huh?" Punk said.

"That would be smart." Dean nodded to him like he was a child, "I'll stay here with the twins, get your ass out of here." Dean smiled.

"Thank you." Punk nodded to him, always counting on Dean to be there.

On the walk to AJ's through the dark night, he reflected on where they left off, with him telling her the sex of the baby and being so immature about everything. He was still angry but now, now he was just lonely and surprisingly missing AJ. It had sunk in that she had cheated and it almost seemed to be put at the back of his mind now. Dean was right, he didn't want to be a lonely father, not when he knew the love him and AJ shared.

A part of him would always remember what AJ done, but he trusted AJ like he didn't trust anyone else, he didn't want to let one mistake she made ruin them for life.

His walk to her house turned into a jog then a quick run, coming around the corner and coming to her house, running up the drive and bursting straight in the door, opening the living room door and walking through to the kitchen, watching her standing at the sink, her bump to the biggest it was going to get, knowing she was having a lot of uncomfort from the way she was holding her back while she stood.

Maybe she didn't deserve to be forgiven, or maybe he needed his wife back.

He walked over to her and spun her around, feeling her jump when she felt someone touch her, not hearing anyone come in.

"Phil…" AJ said, looking up at him standing rather closely with her, not having seen him in two months since he rudely walked out on her.

Her eyes popped open when he pressed his lips against hers, but oh how she had missed his kiss. She didn't know what this meant, it was so random and out of the blue, but she kissed back, not missing her chance, even if she was still annoyed with the way he treated her before.

"What…" AJ just shook her head when he pulled back, not understanding what the kiss was for.

"I can't live without you." He shook his head, watching her smile and then suddenly drop the smile, "What? What's wrong?" Punk asked her.

"My waters have just broken." She said with a nervous smile.

"What?" Punk asked with a large smile, hearing her the first time, "Little guy wasn't coming out until we made up, huh?" Punk laughed, his hand gently on her bump. He wished he could have been there more for her during the pregnancy, but he was here now, telling her he always would. People may not have understood why he was forgiving her, they people didn't understand love.

"The bag is already in the car." AJ said, looking up at him as he smiled.

"Let's… let's put everything behind us, I realised that… everyone makes mistakes and, I know you love me, I was stupid to take this so harshly when I know it was a mistake you wished you never made and…"

"Um Phil… I kinda have a baby making its way out of me." She smiled up at him.

"Right…" Punk shook his head, "Yeah, let's go, c'mon." He said, "Let's just have our baby, we can talk after." Punk smiled, kissing her quickly on the lips and helping her out to the car.

Right now, it was all about their new son being born but after, he wanted to tell her that this was a fresh start, a new chapter in their life to leave the old one behind. He couldn't live without her, even if she had hurt him the way she did, he knew how sorry she had been from the start and just refused to accept it. He needed her so much, this was him accepting her apology and moving on from her mistakes, this was him getting his wife back and preparing himself to be a father to another son.

**All hail Dean Ambrose.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	44. Chapter 44

"How long has that been now?" Dean asked, his hands in his jeans, Renee standing beside him as they stood in the hospital room that AJ and Punk were in.

"Four hours." Punk said, "Where are the twins?" Punk asked Dean who was meant to be looking after the twins.

"With Seth." Dean said.

Punk just nodded, biting his tongue from saying anything and turning his attention back to AJ who was lying on her side, moaning through her contractions and biting her lip. She couldn't remember it being this long the last time. With the twins, they just couldn't wait to come out, but she was already two days over her due date and her son was still refusing to make any progress in coming out. She did feel at ease a little now that Punk had came to her and opened the door to gettng back together, but she had something to tell him.

"Can you two give us a minutes?" AJ turned to Dean and Renee who were their for moral support.

They both nodded and headed out of the room, giving Punk and AJ some space and going into the waiting room to sit.

"You're doing great." Punk smiled. She may only have been three centimteres dialated, but she'd been at it for four hours and was yet to let out a tear. He wasn't really sure what he was meant to do, he hadn't done this before, he wasn't present at the twins birth.

"Listen…" AJ reached for his hand, taking hold of it tightly as she looked across at him, "I'm so relieved and happy your wanting to put everything behind us, I'm so glad you want to get back together but…"

"But?" Punk shook his head.

"But, I don't deserve your forgiveness. You… You're always apologising to me, taking me back and…" She took a deep breath as she rode out another contraction, "It isn't fair on you." She said.

"AJ, what are you talking about?" Punk shook his head.

"I don't want you to forgive me." She shook her head.

"But you said two months ago that…"

"I know." AJ nodded, "But being away from you for those two months made me realise that, I don't deserve you. I don't deserve your kindness and your sweetness. You could do so much better than me." She said.

Punk just shook his head. If she was on gas and air he would have blamed it on that, but she wasn't. She was being deadly serious about this.

"April, you're the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't let you go." He shook his head, "You wanted me to forgive you? Well here I am, I forgive you, I know that it's me you love, I know that you and Seth made a stupid mistake. I know." He said.

"I've accepted that we can't ever be the same again. I'm too damaged and selfish to be given another chance. You'll be better off without me." AJ nodded to him, having thought long and hard about everything since Punks absence from her for two months.

"AJ… what are you talking about? It's always going to be me and you. We're having another baby right now. If we aren't getting back together for us, we're getting back together for our kids." He said.

"What I done… It doesn't deserve forgiveness, not from anyone. I was too caught up in being alone that I wanted your forgiveness immediately, so I wouldn't need to face things alone… but I can't… Oh…" She held her stomach as she watched the squiggly lines appear on the monitor, going through another contraction as she squeezed Punks hand.

"Just breathe… breathe…" He soothed her the best he could, looking at her face scrunched up and her hand on her stomach.

"Just…" AJ took heavy breaths, "Just be my friend." She said, "I don't deserve you as my husband. Just be my friend." She pleaded.

She had thought about it and she realised that the moment she kissed Seth back, was the moment she officially didn't deserve Punks love, not ever. She knew deep down she didn't deserve to be forgiven and it would have been wrong to go along with it with the guilt forever on her mind. It scared her, life without a husband, life without Punk so intimately beside her, but she deserved it, she deserved to be left alone.

"Let's not talk about this, ok? We're here to have the baby, not talk about us. Just keep doing what you're doing." Punk said, kissing her head and trying to ignore what AJ was saying to him.

She really wanted to pay the price. The way she told him that she didn't deserve him, like she was worthless and pathetic, it killed him. He was really willing to forgive her, to start a new life with their new son and the twins, but she wasn't having it. She knew that what she done did not deserve forgiveness.

Another two hours had gone by into AJ's labour and she was finally coming down to the last few minutes before birth. The contractions were lasting longer and were almost back to back with each other, she was just in constant pain and had gave in to have an epidural, going against her birth plan of doing it natural, unlike the twins where they gave her no choice due to double the pain.

"Alright, you two…" The nurse looked at Dean and Renee who had joined AJ and Punk back in the room, "Only mom and dad in the room during the birth, you'll have to wait outside." She said.

Dean and Renee understood and both gave AJ and Punk equal hugs and good lucks.

"Alright April… I'm going to need you to start pushing in a few minutes." The nurse said, preparing AJ for the most intense, horrible pain in her life, for the next few minutes of course.

"I love you." Punk said, kissing her cheek and keeping hold of her hand, "No matter what, I love you." He whispered, putting what she was saying earlier behind and focusing on their son being born.

"Ok." The nurse said, positioning herself at AJ's legs, "I'm going to need you to start pushing now." She nodded to AJ who could only nod and grip onto Punk's hand for dear life, the next contraction that hit her being forced by a push from her that didn't even seem to feel like anything was happening, all she felt was pain.

Punk didn't seem to know where the time had gone because before he knew it, AJ was down to her last final push after squeezing his hand to death and inhaling harsh moans through her mouth.

"One more push, April. You're doing really well." The midwife encouraged.

Punk could already see the look of exhaustion on AJ's face, the sheer look of 'when is this going to end.' He would have took the pain for her if he could, but so would every man in his position right now.

"I can't do this… no more…" AJ moaned, rolling her head back, not finding any energy to push one last time.

"Just one more push, baby. Just one." Punk said, kissing her head as she nodded, sitting up and clenching her teeth together as she gave one final push, a roar of up cries surpassing the full room, like angels singing to AJ's ears after all of that pain. She couldn't even remember how she managed to have the twins, one baby was hard enough.

Punk never described a lot of things as beautiful, besides from his wife and children, but seeing his son for the first time, as covered in blood as he may have been, it was one of the most beautiful sights he had seen.

The tiny baby boy, at 6lbs and 9 ounces, born at 3:23am was finally wrapped in a blanket after being cleaned over in the corner with the midwifes, his cries still screeching the room, joy to everyone's ears that he was a healthy little baby with a great set of lungs.

"Congratulations… he's beautiful." The midwife smiled as he placed the baby boy in AJ's arms.

AJ looked down at her son through the strands of hair overlapping her eyes, he really was perfect, his little hands were curled into a fist and his eyes which showcased her identical brown ones looked up at her.

"He's perfect." Punk smiled, never being so proud, having missed this part of the twins lives when they were just born, there was no better feeling and he was so proud of AJ, "You did it, April." He smiled with praise, leaning down to kiss her cheek when she turned her face, her lips in line with his as she held their baby boy in her arms.

"I thought you didn't…"

"Not right now." AJ shook her head, feeling sweaty and sticky but not caring, her son was here and she wanted to kiss his father, not on the cheek or the head, on the lips and she did just that, pressing her lips softly against his while she held her newly born son, it was like everything else didn't matter.

_Later on…_

"He's so tiny…" Renee whispered as she held, quote on quote, Baby Brooks, to what the midwifes were calling him since AJ and Punk didn't have a name for him yet.

AJ was fast asleep in bed, completely conking out after she got given the go ahead to, depending on Punk to keep an eye on their son.

Renee and Dean were only staying for a little while to see the baby, not wanting to leave Seth with the twins and Faye all night, which they practically had since it was now 4am.

"You and AJ all good then?" Dean smiled to Punk as he watched Renee with a smile.

"I thought we were. Just before she gave birth she was going on about how she didn't want to be forgiven and that she didn't deserve me." Punk shrugged, not sure still what AJ was meaning.

"I thought she was the one that wanted to get back together?" Dean said, speaking with quiet and calm voices, not wanting to wake AJ.

"So did I. She just went on and on about how what she done was not forgivable and that she just wanted to be friends." Punk sighed.

"Was she doped up on epidurals at this point?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"No, she was fine." Punk said, "I don't know. I'll speak to her in the morning." He said, figuring he would speak with AJ about their talk just before she gave birth in the morning.

Once Dean and Renee left the hospital, it was just Punk, AJ and their new son in the room. AJ was still in a deep, needed sleep, whilst Punk sat on the chair beside the bed with their baby boy in his arms, watching him look up at him.

"Hey little guy." Punk smiled down to him, nothing being so small and precious to him, "You've got your mommy's eyes." He whispered, "I don't know what's going on right now, but what I do know is that you're going to be loved so much by your family. You have an amazing big brother and sister and the best mom out there, and you have me. Just remember that." He smiled.

He didn't know where he and AJ stood right now, he thought he did when he came to the hospital. He thought him and AJ could get back together, their new son being what they needed to understand that they need each other, but AJ didn't seem to want forgiveness anymore, she seemed to have this ridiculous idea about her not deserving him. He would talk with her in the morning, for now he was just going to hold his son all night and stare at how perfect he was.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**

**Feel free to suggest some baby names.**


	45. Chapter 45

The night and early morning was as peaceful as it was going to get. AJ slept peacefully all the way through to the morning, as did their son who Punk refused to let out of his arms. Punk knew he now had to talk with AJ about the nonsense she was talking about before their son was born. They needed to sort this out once and for all.

"Morning." Punk smiled, watching her open her eyes as he was just placing their son in the basinet beside AJ's bed.

"How is he?" AJ asked immediately, looking over into the basinet where her son slept so quietly and peacefully.

"He's fine." Punk smiled, "I think we need to talk." He said, sitting back down and pulling the chair closer to her bedside.

"Yeah. We do." AJ agreed with him.

"I don't know if you're aware of it, but you are the most important woman in my life. I know we haven't been getting along these past few months, but not once have I ever stopped loving you." Punk said, "You made a stupid mistake but who doesn't?"

"I cheated on you." AJ said, her voice high pitched and full of emotion, "That isn't just a stupid mistake."

"Well whatever it is… I can forgive you. We moved here a year ago and seeing the smile on your face everywhere we went, lying on the beach at night while the twins slept in their strollers, teaching the twins how to swim, being happy… that was meant to last." He said, "Everything just went downhill from there and… we lost those happy people we were a long time ago." He said, "But the fact is, I love you. You're my wife, we've just had another beautiful baby, we shouldn't be just friends, I was stupid to ever think that we could." He said.

"I don't deserve another chance, Phil." AJ shook her head.

"You do." Punk said, "I know you. You have an amazing heart that loves me and our children. I know you need me just as much as I need you." He looked in her eyes deeply.

AJ watched him as he stood up, lifting their baby boy up in his arms and walking back over to her, passing him to her as she smiled down upon her son, kissing his soft head.

"Look at him…" Punk said, watching AJ look down upon their son with a smile, "He needs us, he needs us to take care of him, and not individually."

AJ just looked down at their son, making soft noises through his tiny mouth, his little hands curled up as he wriggled his body a little, looking up at his mother for guidance for the rest of his life.

"He's perfect." She smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek as she reflected back to why she told Punk she didn't deserve another chance.

She truly believed she didn't, but deep inside, she desperately wanted to be back in Punks arms, never to leave them again.

"You're perfect." Punk smiled to her, watching her turn to him and smile, "Let's take our son home tomorrow, together… as husband and wife." Punk said, watching her nod with a smile, turning her attention back to their son and pressing another kiss against his head, so grateful that he was here and healthy, so perfect in so many ways. She couldn't wait to see the twin's excitement, especially Charlie's who was hoping it was a boy.

AJ felt Punk lean towards her, tilting her chin to face him and kissing her passionately with every little emotion he had, not letting her go that easily. She belonged with him, as did their three children. They were a family.

_Later on…_

After Punk and AJ discussing names for the full day, going through so many names, from original names to unique and different names, not coming across one that they liked yet, finally after a good few hours of racking their brains, AJ had suggested the name James and it just sounded so right when she said it, it felt so right and he looked like such a James, if that was possible. It was settled and the birth certificate was filled in with pride by Punk, signing it at the bottom and letting AJ sign it too.

He had just put James into the basinet since he was fast asleep when they both heard a knock at the door. AJ gave Punk a confused and weary glance as he gave her back one, watching the door open as half blonde, half brown hair revealed itself in the room, a card in his hand as he stood back from them both, staying at the door for a quick escape from embarrassment.

"Congratulations." Seth smiled to them both, placing the card at the bottom of the bed, leaning against the door as he looked at AJ, watching her smile to him and mouth thank you to him, glancing his eyes to Punk who stood still, staring across the room at him as he watched over his son.

"I'll be going then." Seth pointed to the door, not seeing any conversation happening, doing what he had to do and slipping out of the door, closing it behind him.

AJ turned to Punk and was surprised to see him run across the room and out the door after Seth.

"Seth!" Punk shouted as he ran after his friend, watching Seth turn around just at the main exit.

"Yeah?" Seth said.

"Thank you." Punk nodded to him, "For the card." He smiled.

Seth just nodded, never expecting to ever get a smile from Punk again, "It's fine." He shook his head with no worries.

"Look… I can't say that it didn't hurt… what you done, but if I'm willing to put it behind me for me and AJ, I'm willing to put it behind me for me and you." He said, "I have two little brothers… not just one." He reminded Seth.

"You'll never know how sorry I am." Seth said.

"I have an idea." Punk nodded to him, "It's going to take some time like it will for me and AJ, but we'll get through this." He said, watching Seth just nod and smile to the ground.

"I'll catch you later then." Seth said, watching Punk nod and walk away back to his wife and new born son.

Seth put his hands in his pockets as he walked out of the hospital, getting into his car and turning the engine on. He was grateful for Punks effort to put everything behind them, but he wondered if maybe this neighbourhood would be better without him. All this time he'd spent alone really made him think about Paige and where she was, what she was doing, who she was doing things with. He realised that… he loved Paige. He didn't love AJ, he never really did. Sure, he cared about her, but not like he cared about Paige. But it was too late, he'd let Paige go and now everyone around him yet again were happy with their wives/future wives and children.

He drove home, the window wipers on as they battled the rain that lashed down, finally getting home and parking in the driveway to his house.

Maybe he'd take a vacation somewhere on his own after Dean's wedding, get out of everyone's hair, let everyone get on with their happy lives and find something else to do in life. Maybe he'd go find Paige, see what she was up to, that was if she would even let him come near her again after the way he treated her.

He got out of the car, not caring how slow he was walking whilst the rain lashed down, taking his keys out as his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, ringing loudly as he fumbled around to pick it up and out of his pocket, nearly falling backwards when he saw it was Paige.

He didn't hesitate in answering it, immediately swiping the phone and placing it against his wet ear, the rain lashing down on the ground and his body, the street cold and dark, standing facing his front door.

"Paige…" Seth spoke into the phone, not believing that she was really calling, especially with how much he had been thinking about her lately, "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Turn around." He heard her voice through the phone, somehow hearing it echo from behind him, turning around slowly and looking across at her, a few metres away, equally as soaked as he was, a small smile appearing on her face when she saw him.

His eyes however didn't stay on her for long, they were too intrigued in the extremely small child in her arms, almost like a new born baby, a pink blanket around what he assumed was obviously a baby girl, shielding her from the rain as she stayed in Paige's arms.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	46. Chapter 46

Seth stood for a minute. Uncanny of the situation in front of him. Nothing made sense, yet it was so clear to him.

He hesitated over towards Paige who was holding the baby close to her, protecting her from everything like she had done for the first month of her life.

Before Seth knew it, he was as close as he could get and finally, something felt right in his life. He couldn't believe Paige was here, after spending her full time of absence mourning over how stupid he was to let the likes of her go, the likes of her… beautiful, kind, sweet, everything he wanted and more.

He had one question to ask, it wasn't hard, a yes or no answer.

"Is she…" He looked down at the baby girl who was looking up at him, her eyes the same colour as his, her hair fairly dark like Paige's, "Is she mine?" He asked with hope, hope that in amongst all this hectic drama, there was something at the end waiting for him to hold, his daughter.

"She's yours." Paige nodded to save him the wait, watching one of his legs give way for a minute, his tongue being bitten in his mouth as he looked down at his daughter in her arms.

It took her a lot of guts coming back here to see him, a man who the last time she faced was telling her he didn't want her. She knew he had just as much right to their daughter as she did and keeping her as a secret away from him wasn't going to help anyone, also, despite the fact she was so hurt and heartbroken from their break up, she still missed him and loved him.

"I-I can't believe… were you pregnant when you left?" Seth asked, not being able to keep his eyes off the baby girl… his baby girl. It was so unreal. She was perfect in every way, she was Paige, all gorgeous.

"Yeah." Paige nodded. Thankfully the rain had gone off and they weren't getting pelted down, even though they were both still soaking wet, the baby girl was bone dry from her mother's protection, "I didn't think you would care if I told you, you wanted to break up. If you didn't want me, I didn't think you would want her." Paige admitted, watching him just shake his head.

"Of course I would. Paige, I love you… I was… I was just confused back then, I didn't know what I wanted, what I needed… I realised once you left that I had just lost the one thing I needed the most." He said, cupping the back of the baby girls head softly, smiling down as she made soft noises whilst looking up at him, her little hands curled up, her eyes so beady and alert of him already.

"I didn't think it was right to keep her from you. If… If you don't want us to be together, I want you to be with her… I'll move out here, you can see her as often as…"

Paige couldn't say anymore, her lips were trapped from speaking as his came crashing down against hers. Their baby girl content in between their love.

Seth pulled back from their soft kiss, placing his hands at either side of her arms, "Let's go inside." He smiled, rubbing up and down her arms slowly, watching her smile, walking in front of him as she led the way into her former house with their daughter.

_With AJ and Punk…_

Punk and AJ were awaiting the visit from Dean, Renee and the twins who were coming to see their baby brother for the first time later on in the night. Punk had told AJ about his small talk with Seth, he could see how happy she was about it, he assumed she would have felt pretty guilty about him and Seth not speaking.

"How you feeling?" Punk asked as he entered the room again after going for a soda, not having drunk anything in the past twenty four hours, looking on at AJ with baby James in her arms, having tried to catch the act of breast feeding for the past few hours. She didn't bother trying with the twins since there were two of them, it was easier to just go by the bottle, but she felt like she should give it a go, she hadn't quite got the hang of it yet.

"I'm ok." AJ smiled over at him, she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, having talked with Punk and knowing that everything was turning out to be ok. Also, her new born baby boy was enough to keep her smiling.

"Still not happening yet?" He scrunched his nose up at her, noticing she wasn't even trying to feed their son.

"No, I gave up." She sighed, feeling rather down that she wasn't getting the hang of breast feeding.

"You'll get it. It isn't going to happen first time. Just be patient." He smiled, sitting down on the chair beside her bed, cracking open his can of soda just as Dean and Renee walked into the room with the twins scattering in front, extremely hyper and excited for the arrival of this new baby they were being told about.

"Let me see, let me see…" Charlie repeated, jumping up and down at his mother's bedside, Sam behind him, a little less interested.

"Wait a minute." AJ told Charlie, sitting up in bed properly with James fast asleep in her arms.

"Sam, you come round this side." Punk waved his daughter over to him, watching her run over to him.

Punk helped Sam up on the bed where AJ sat, Dean doing the same with Charlie as they both held on to their mother's shoulder whilst looking down at their brother.

"Why is he sleeping?" Charlie asked, wanting the baby to be awake.

"He's just tired." AJ smiled to Charlie, watching both the twins look extremely interested in James.

"What's his name?" Sam asked softly, playing with her mother's hair as she kneeled up on the bed, looking down at her brother, Punk beside her sitting on the chair with a smile, watching his family, the most important people in the world to him.

"His name is James." AJ smiled to Sam, "And you guys need to look out for him now." She smiled to them.

"James, huh?" Dean smiled, folding his arms with a smile.

"He's adorable." Renee clasped her hands as she looked upon James, the baby boy's skin like a soft little peach, his tiny button nose and closed eye lids shut. He really was a perfect baby.

The rest of the night was such a sight for Punk. Sam and Charlie ended up falling asleep against their mother on each side while James proceeded to sleep in his mother's arms, all three of his children asleep and amongst his wife. He could have looked upon the sight all day, but he knew it was soon time for the twins to leave with Dean and Renee, to let James get settled down for the night and AJ to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning they would be getting discharged from hospital and hopefully things could get back to normal, with AJ by his side, everything forgotten about, their children coming first in their lives.

"I think they wanted him to start dancing and talking." AJ laughed, recalling the twins meeting their brother.

"They'll be a great brother and sister to him." Punk smiled, watching as a nurse came through the door abruptly.

"Alright, let's try him again before he goes to bed." The nurse exclaimed.

Punk just stepped back into the corner of the room, giving AJ her privacy to try breast feed again.

He was so glad that he decided to put his heart first and take her back into his arms, they were a family and he couldn't ignore his love for her, he knew she was sorry, he knew how guilty she felt, now it was time to move on and start a new chapter, with all three children and his wife.

He looked up out of his thoughts when he heard AJ laugh in joy, biting her lip as she smiled down at James.

"He's doing it…" AJ smiled with a gasp, watching Punk walk over to her with a smile.

"Told you." Punk said, sitting down beside AJ on the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder with a smile, kissing her head as he looked down at James suckling away at his mother, the most natural thing he had ever laid eyes on.

"I love you." AJ smiled up at Punk, never feeling anything as weird yet as wonderful as she was feeling, she felt so motherly and proud for getting the hang of it eventually, caressing her son as he latched on to her for his feed before he was put into his basinet to sleep for the night.

"I love you too." Punk smiled, proud and alert of the moment they were sharing, extremely happy for the first time in nine months, truly thankful for the family and friends he had, no matter if they had hurt him or not, he knew he was loved, especially by his wife.

_With Paige and Seth…_

It had just sunk in to Seth that he was now a father to a beautiful baby girl, who he had learned was named Blake. He questioned upon the uniqueness of the name but Paige just gave him a straight answer, she liked it.

Getting to hold her for the first time, a part of him felt a little weak, he'd never felt so responsible for such a tiny little thing, watching her look up at him, her soft little cheeks glowing in his eyes. She was just the perfect little surprise he could ever ask for.

Unfortunately, he couldn't stare at her all day, as much as he wanted to, he needed to speak with Paige, to see where they stood.

Seth had helped Paige build up the travel play pen, placing Blake into it as she lay down and went fast to sleep upstairs in the spare room, holding on to a teddy as her eyes drifted shut from her father and mother's figures.

"She loves that bear." Paige smiled, looking over her daughter, never seeing Seth so speechless and in awe, the love in his eyes already shining through for Blake.

"She's just…" Seth shook his head, having no words.

"I know." Paige nodded, she knew how beautiful her daughter was, no one had to tell her.

They both sauntered out of the spare room where their daughter was safely asleep, shutting the door over and facing each other.

"You know it's you I love, right?" Seth looked across at her.

"You aren't just saying that because I show up on the door step with your daughter." She whispered

"No. If you showed up by yourself, I still would be telling you this… I want you." He said, "It's always been you I wanted, from that moment I seen you in hospital. I was just confused before and I didn't know what I wanted, but… it's always been you." He said.

"I thought you didn't want me." Paige shrugged.

"Of course I want you. I want you right now." He said, moving closer towards her, "Right here…"

Paige watched Seth with every move, feeling him pull her close as she could get to him, his hands on her waist, her breathing heavy as she looked at him closely.

"Don't lead me on." She begged him. She didn't want this if it was only a one-time thing, she didn't want him to feel like he needed to be with her just because of Blake.

"This is what I want. I should never… never have let you go." Seth whispered, raising his hands and cupping her pale cheeks, pressing his lips against her cold ones.

Seth wasn't doing this just because he felt he needed to, he was doing it because everything he ever wanted was always right in front of him, he just foolishly pushed it away, but having it back, having Paige back in front of his eyes, along with a darling baby girl to hold, it was all he ever wanted, he was just too stupid to realise it was all in front of him all along. It was always Paige, his heart always belonged to her.

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	47. Chapter 47

_The next morning…_

Punk had gone home the night before to get everything ready for James coming home, wanting AJ to come back to her home where she belonged, to sleep in their bed together again. He was up bright and early to get showered and leave the house. He was never able to experience this excitement and joy when the twins were born, he was stuck in a hospital, his face scarred and his body aching, of course he was still so happy and pleased, but he was barely allowed to hold the twins for any length of time.

He left the house and drove to the hospital, remembering to bring the car seat for James and the specific baby grow that AJ wanted to put him for going home.

It didn't take him long to reach the hospital, walking into the room AJ was in, pausing slightly as he looked through the small gap he had created, looking on at AJ staring down at James in his basinet, smiling to him and stroking his cheek softly, whispering soft little nothings to him.

She was such a good mother. Everything she done in life, she done it for her children, she just had that natural motherly touch, he couldn't have asked for a better mother for his children, he really couldn't have.

"Hey…" Punk smiled as he crept fully in the door, getting AJ's attention from James.

"Hi." AJ smiled as she turned to face Punk, looking at him stand with the car seat in one hand, a bag in the other.

"I brought you some clothes, they're in here." He said, sitting the empty car seat on the bed while he handed her the bag.

"How about you get him ready in his car seat and I'll go get changed." She suggested with a sweet smile.

"Yeah." Punk agreed to the plan, "How did you both sleep?" He asked her first.

"Great. He slept right through…" She walked over to James, "You let mommy sleep late didn't you?" She hovered over him with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Good." Punk smiled.

AJ went and got changed soon enough after having to pull herself from James and his cuteness, leaving him with his father, looking forward to going home for some rest, knowing she had Punks love back was everything to her, she'd never leave his side again, she'd glue herself to him if she had to. She would never hurt him ever again the way she did, she'd rather be dead. She knew she probably wasn't worthy of being forgiven this quickly, but their son had pulled them together as one again and she couldn't refuse Punks love, never.

Punk busied himself changing James in the room while AJ got changed in the bathroom. He delicately put his little arms and legs into the baby grow, buttoning it up as James let out the cutest of noises, wriggling his arms and legs in his father's touch.

Punk finally successfully put the baby grow on James which was blue and had little bears on the front, lifting him up carefully and placing him into the car seat where he looked so small and tiny. He couldn't believe that the twins were even smaller than this.

"You ready to go home, buddy?" Punk smiled, putting James's delicate little arms through the straps on the car seat, buckling him in securely and leaning down to give him a kiss on the head.

AJ approached from the bathroom shortly after, comfortable jeans and a loose jumper on her body, her glasses on her nose from having no contact lenses with her, her hair up in a bobble away from her face.

After getting dismissed from the hospital, both of them leaving together as a couple, the handle of the car seat James was in around Punks arm, they finally got to the car where AJ sat in the back with James, Punk driving ahead to go back home.

"He's making your grumpy face." AJ smiled as she leaned over James in his car seat, watching him scrunch his little face up in an unhappy way, a lot of Punk reflecting off of him.

"I don't have a grumpy face." Punk chuckled, staring at AJ through the rear view mirror, smiling at her bonding with their son. He had no regret about letting her back in, they were meant to be together, they always said they'd be forever. They would, he was sure of it.

_Later that night…_

After an extremely warm welcome from all their friends and the excited twins, Seth missing however, AJ decided she was going to take a nap while Punk kept an eye on James.

"Two hands." Punk said, putting his trust in Sam as she insisted she held her baby brother, sitting up on the couch, holding her arms out to hold her brother while her twin brother sat beside her looking on.

"Why is he small?" Sam asked, a normal three year old question, full of wonder and confusion.

"Because he's just a baby. You were both that size at one point." Punk said, watching Sam concentrate very hard to hold James safely.

"No we weren't." Charlie chuckled, looking at his father like he was insane, watching Punk sit down beside Sam, his three children close by and under his watchful eye.

"You were." Punk looked at his eldest son, not really believing yet that he had two sons now.

"Weren't." Charlie looked up at Punk, the same sneaky eyes as his, always having to get the last word.

Punk sat for quite a while, letting the twins hold and bond with their new baby brother, smiling at their child talk to him, both of them expecting some sort of reply from him. It was an adorable sight to see and he was so grateful to be blessed with such darling children. He barely thought he could be a father to one child, never mind three. But he figured he was doing an alright job, at least he hoped.

Soon later, Punk put all three of his children to bed, the twins going first as they were both completely exhausted from the exciting few days from the arrival of James. They both fell straight asleep when their heads hit their pillows.

Punk then took James into his room which still had the smell of newly fresh paint, the furniture and items purchased looking very new and clean.

He lay him down in his crib, stroking his cheek softly and whispering his goodnights to his perfect son, leaving the room and turning the light off along with shutting the door.

He never thought being a father was something he would be good at, but he knew he done his best and that was all that mattered, he'd spent so much of his life not knowing how to love anything or anyone, but as soon as AJ came into his life and their children were born, he'd never loved anyone like he loved them all, regardless of the shit they had been through, they stuck together.

He walked into his and AJ's room where AJ was fast asleep, still exhausted from the birth of James which did look pretty exhausting from his point of view, he had nothing but respect for AJ.

He walked round to her side, so nice to see her in their bed, hugging into her pillow, her chest rising and falling as her soft breathing filled the room. She was just as perfect as their children.

He leaned down and pressed a soft slow kiss against her head, brushing her hair from her face and smiling. He really could never let her go, no matter what she done. He loved her so much, he'd do anything for her. Everything that had happened, it was all in the past. Already forgotten about.

He left the room and upstairs all together where his sleeping family were, all peacefully sleeping.

He was intentionally heading straight downstairs and into the living room, but the front door knocked as he walked downstairs, so he proceeded to walk forward to the door and unlock it, opening it up to expect Dean or Renee, maybe their other neighbours who had found out about the new baby, but it wasn't anyone of them, it was Seth.

He would have just smiled to him, maybe take another step back into their friendship and invite him in, but he seemed to be holding something in his arms that confused him a lot. He could tell it was a baby girl, the pink baby grow on her and her twinkling little eyes.

He knew it wasn't Faye, she was too small, almost newborn like, plus, Faye had extremely blonde hair like Renee and deep blue eyes like Dean, this perfect little thing had hazel eyes like Seth and dark hair, almost the same colour as Paige.

"Blake…" Seth smiled down at his daughter, "This is your uncle Punk." He smiled up at Punk, watching him look surprisingly shocked and confused, staring from Blake to Seth, not knowing how this made sense, since when was Seth expecting a child and how did he never know about it?

"I think you should come in." Punk said, opening the door wide and letting Seth and his assumed daughter into his home, intrigued to know the story behind this.

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	48. Chapter 48

Punk had waited a few minutes for Seth to get in the house, joining him in the living room and studying the baby girl in his arms, almost the same size as James, maybe a month or two older. He really wanted an explanation to this.

"I think it would be polite to ask who the baby is?" Punk said, looking at Seth, folding his arms and staring across at him. Him and Seth weren't exactly back to their normal best friend selves, but at least the air was cleared from them when Punk spoke to him at the hospital.

"She's mine." Seth smiled down to his daughter, "Can you believe it?" He looked up at Punk.

"Since when?" Punk shook his head, not really sure how this could be Seth's kid.

"When Paige left… she was pregnant, she came back last night. She's going to give me another chance." Seth smiled, staring down at Blake sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"And does she know about…" Punk leaned forward and raised his eyebrows to Seth.

"No." Seth shook his head, "Not yet. I'm going to tell her though. I really want to make this right. It's her I love… it's always been her." Seth said.

Punk just nodded and let out a sigh that was combined with a small laugh, "Well… congratulations. How old is she?" Punk smiled.

"She's just one month old." Seth smiled, "I can't believe this is happening." He said.

Despite what Punk still thought of Seth and the uncertainty of being around him for any length of time, he was extremely happy that he was now a father.

"Do you want to hold her?" Seth asked.

Punk knew it would be the polite thing to do, so he held out his arms, completely used to handling children by now, caressing the sweet little girl in his arms as he looked down at her with a smile. Something about him felt old and grandpa like, his boys were all grown up and having children of their own. It was nice and felt right to be holding her, knowing she was in good hands with Paige and Seth.

"I know we might never be the same." Seth said, "I don't expect you to forgive me. I shouldn't be forgiven, but I'd really like it if we could try get along. Dean's getting married soon… James is here… she is surprisingly here." He looked at his daughter, "Me and AJ… it should never have happened, I shouldn't have gone through with it when I knew she was so confused and damaged…"

"Don't call her damaged." Punk picked his head up to look at Seth while he bounced Blake in his arms lightly.

"Well, you know what I mean. Her head wasn't where it usually was and I took advantage of that." He admitted, "But I love Paige, whatever provoked me to sleep with AJ, it's gone, I think back every now and then and wonder why I even considered… she's yours, she always will be." Seth said.

"Despite myself. I forgive you. I think it's best if we all just move on. You're right… Dean is getting married, we have new borns, we need to just look past this." Punk said.

"Thank you." Seth nodded.

"You aren't just staying with Paige because of her, right? Because that wouldn't be fair on her, you know that right?" Punk said.

"I know, but I love her… as soon as she left I knew I had made a mistake. It's her I want to be with." Seth said, really being truthful. He'd never been so sure about something in his life, it was Paige he loved and wanted to be with.

Punk just nodded, believing Seth from what he was saying, smiling down at Blake who was wide awake and staring up at him.

"She's gorgeous." Punk smiled, really happy for Seth despite what he had done to him in the past. All three of them would always be best friends, they got through things like this.

"Tell me about it." Seth agreed with Punk, "I'd really like it if you and AJ were her godparents." Seth said.

Punk just smiled towards Seth and nodded, "I'd really like that too." Punk smiled, never being a godparent before, his sisters didn't have any kids and Faye's godparents were from Renee's side of the family, it was a nice warm feeling to be asked.

_Later that night…_

Seth had left shortly after introducing Punk to Blake, pleased that they had got to talk properly and come to an agreement about moving on. He couldn't live without his friends, they were what kept him laughing and smiling, but now he had a unknown daughter that kept him smiling until his jaws got sore.

Punk had joined AJ in bed later on that night, feeling quite tired himself for the long day he had went through, however feeling very satisfied with how things were going, happy with his conversation with Seth, hoping that they could get over this and get back to the way they used to be.

"Is James ok?" AJ asked when she felt Punk join her in bed, the first time in almost nine months where she was graced with his warm presence in bed.

"Yeah, he's still fast asleep." Punk smiled, having checked on James and the twins before coming to bed himself.

"Were you talking to someone downstairs earlier? I thought I heard voices." She said, watching Punk turn on his side to face her in bed.

"Yeah actually." Punk nodded, "It was Seth."

"Oh." AJ nodded, not really knowing what to say.

"While you're awake I suppose I'll just tell you… Paige had a baby." He said.

"She did?" AJ asked, her eyes popping open at this new information.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, his whispering tired voice on as it filled their dark room, staring into her eyes full of innocence, "Obviously it's Seth's. She came back last night to find Seth, they had a girl." Punk smiled, really happy for his friend regardless, he knew for long enough that Seth wanted a family and a girl to love, he was happy he found that, regardless of getting involved with his wife in the process, they agreed to put all of that behind them.

"That's great." AJ smiled, "So her and James are the same age?" She asked.

"About a month between them." Punk said.

"And are Seth and Paige going to get together or?"

"I think so. I think Seth really wants to move on. I can tell he loves Paige." Punk said, watching AJ nod and smile.

She too was happy that Seth was moving on and realising that what he always wanted was right in front of him. Hopefully then they could all put everything behind them and move on.

"He also asked me… asked us… if we would be godparents to her." Punk said, watching her smile sweetly.

"Everything is falling into place. Isn't it?" She smiled to him, realising that everyone around her were happy and that they were all moving on with their own lives. The past was in the past and all she wanted to do was move on with her family and create more amazing memories with those she loved, watch her children grow with her husband and enjoy every part of being a mother and wife. She'd made some horrible mistakes but so did everyone.

"Yeah. I guess it is." Punk smiled to her. Things could only get better from here.

He lay his hand on her waist, shifting her over closer to him, kissing her softly on the lips as she reached up to cup his cheeks, knowing this was exactly where she was meant to be.

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	49. Chapter 49

A few weeks had tumbled by in an instant and Dean and Renee found themselves heading into the biggest day of their lives. Renee couldn't have been happier that all her friends had managed to work things out betweent them, especially for her wedding day where she wanted everything to be perfect.

Seth had spoke to Paige about the situation with him and AJ. She was a little put off at the thought of him sleeping with AJ, it just didn't seem right in her head, but nevertheless, she could tell Seth loved her, she just knew, the way he looked at her the same way that he looked at Blake, those myserious eyes directly looking at hers. She could get over it, she wanted a new life with her daughter and Seth. Nothing in the way of them.

AJ and Punk were doing just as good with baby James and the twins. They had sold the house AJ was living in during the pregnancy, making a little bit of money out of it that was of course spent on the kids, some being saved away. They agreed to not let any past nightmare dictate the rest of their life, they wanted a new life, a new start, the twins, James, themselves and their friends.

"Samantha… would you please put your dress on." AJ said, having a full house this morning for the wedding day, the twins not helping the crowdness with their stuborness.

Renee had stayed the night while Dean slept in their own home. Since they had agreed to have the wedding ceremony in the back garden, considering it was going to be a small wedding, Renee decided she would sleep at AJ's house, so not to bump into Dean in the morning, knowing it was bad luck.

"Don't want to wear the dress." Sam huffed, throwing the dress across her room.

"Niether do I." AJ snapped, walking over to pick the dress up, "But we have to wear them so we look pretty for Uncle Dean's wedding. Ok?" AJ said, crouching down to Sam. She didn't want to wear a dress either quite frankly, but it was her best friend's wedding day, she couldn't not. If she was going down, she was taking Sam with her.

Sam just folded her arms, refusing to budge to put the dress on, looking straight into her mother's eyes, standing her ground and refusing to put the dress on.

AJ stood up straight, wearing a simple red dress, tight around her figure, she had to admit, for having a baby just a few weeks ago, she looked pretty damn good.

"Do you want me to get your father?" AJ asked her, watching her beady little eyes turn to innocence, feeling her grab the dress from her hand and smile up to her.

It worked every time.

Meanwhile downstairs, Punk was with his two boys and Renee who had curlers in her hair and was still dressed in her pyjamas, pacing up and down the kitchen while Punk done his tie in the mirror, keeping his eye on James in the living room, lying down on a blanket, Charlie sitting beside him on his DS, his legs in a basket the way he normally sat.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Punk said, looking in the mirror at Renee behind him, pacing around and talking to herself.

"What if he doesn't really want to marry me?" Renee paced, Punk turning around and rolling his eyes at her post wedding trauma.

"And why wouldn't he want to marry you?" Punk raised his eyebrow at her.

"Well, you know… maybe he feels pressured because we have Faye… did you feel like that? When AJ had the twins? Did you feel you had to marry her?" Renee panicked her stomach spinning.

"No. I married her because I wanted to marry her. Dean is doing the same. Now stop being stupid and go get ready." Punk said.

"But what if?..."

"Move." Punk put his hands flat on her back and pushed her lightly through the living room and to the staircase, giving her no choice to go up and get ready. Women would be the death of him.

Punk went over to pick up his suit jacket, hearing Renee appear back in the living room, causing him to turn around.

"You don't think he might regret…"

"Renee." Punk pointed in faraway distance.

"Alright, I'm going." Renee tutted, waving her hand at him as she disappeared upstairs.

Punk just smiled, turning back around, fixing the cuffs of his shirt before putting his suit jacket on, looking down at James fast asleep, Charlie sitting beside him with a Capri sun in one hand, his DS in the other, staying close to his little brother.

_Later that night…_

It was a short ceremony with very few people there, but that's the way they liked it. Renee had some of her family there, not many and Dean… well Dean had his friends, the only people he had in his life.

It was a terrifying experience for him, yet just so wonderful. Committing to loving and protecting Renee for all eternity scared him, all he ever wanted to do was keep her safe, but knowing it was official, it terrified him, in a good way.

Renee had shaken her fears away and made the most of her day. Everything was so special and perfect, it was a day she would always remember. Looking across to Dean at the altar, their one year old daughter sitting on Paige's lap, AJ and Punk with the twins and little James and of course, Seth and Paige with their surprising but oh so cute daughter. It was all she really needed, it was all she ever would need.

AJ was currently in Renee and Dean's bathroom downstairs. The only people left from the big day were the six of them, not including the children. They were all sat outside in the garden around the table, empty glasses and beer bottles on the table, the night taking toll of them all as they all celebrated Dean and Renee's newly found marriage.

The twins were fast asleep on the couch inside the house after being changed into their pyjamas by Punk. Little James was awake and alert, looking for his dinner, laying in Punks arms.

AJ looked at herself in the toilet mirror, fixing her hair around before leaving, bumping into someone in the process.

"Oh, sor…" She paused as she looked up, looking at Seth nervously smile down at her.

"Sorry." Seth said, watching her go to walk away quickly when he tugged her arm back, "This doesn't have to be awkward between us." Seth said, not wanting this to be their forever relationship, awkward and tense.

"I know." AJ nodded, "I just want to move past everything." She said.

"So do I." Seth agreed with her, "We can still be friends, right?" He said, not wanting to lose a friend like her.

AJ just smiled and nodded, "Yeah. We can." She said.

Seth smiled, "I think James is wanting fed out there." He said, hearing the uproar of cries from James outside.

"Duty calls." AJ said, "I better go." She pointed behind her.

Seth just nodded and watched as she walked away back outside. Those weird feelings he had for her leaving with her a long time ago, no one else ever on his mind but Paige and the love they shared. It was just a stupid little crush, not even a crush, some unexplainable feelings. But they were gone, he seen AJ as his friend again and the only woman he seen in the room was Paige.

"What's wrong baby boy? Huh?" AJ made her way out back into the garden where Punk was standing with a crying James, his shirt tucked out of his trousers, his tie and jacket off along with his top button undone.

"I think he's hungry." Punk said, passing him to AJ, in this case, he couldn't help his son out.

"You hungry baby?" AJ cooried James into her, taking a seat beside Punk and covering herself up to breast feed James, not wanting to disturb anyone's eye sights.

Across the round table were Dean and Renee who were sitting on the same seat, Renee on Dean's lap, her legs draped over the arm of the chair, Dean's arms around her, extremely comfy after changing out of her wedding dress and into her night time dress she had picked, knowing she couldn't possibly wear her wedding dress the full day and night, although she did promise Dean she would put it back on later that night for him to take it off.

Paige sat around the table with them with Blake sleeping in her arms, Seth having just joined them again and sitting around the table, all six of them enjoying the night, the stars twinkling above them.

Dean nodded to Renee in a 'it's time' signal and both of them sat up from slouching back together, Renee taking her own seat as she put her elbows on the table, looking at all her friends.

"We need to talk with you guys." She said, twirling her wedding band around her finger.

"What's up?" Seth took his attention from Blake.

"Is everything ok?" AJ asked, holding James closed to her, her cardigan covering over her while she fed him, Punk sitting next to her, leaning into her as they both looked across at Dean and Renee.

"We um…" Dean hesitated, "We're… we're moving back to Paris." He said, watching all four of their friends sit up and groan a little.

"What?" Punk screwed his full face up.

"Why?" Paige shook her head in confusion.

"Well…" Renee started, "We never really planned to move out here, we moved only because of everything that went on, we… we really made a home in Paris." She said.

"Well I guess if that's what you guys really want." AJ said, "We're going to miss you." She said, speaking for her, Punk, Seth and Paige.

"And we're going to miss you all." Dean said, "But we enjoyed life over there, it was different, exciting, we'll still visit, maybe you guys could come over for a vacation. This isn't a goodbye." He smiled to them all.

Punk just looked at AJ who frowned sympathetically to him, exchanging a sad look to her while Seth and Paige done the same, silence falling over the table as AJ rested her head on Punks shoulder, nothing but silence and unhappy thoughts floating around the air above them.

_Later that night…_

Everyone had went home later after Dean and Renee told them the news of them leaving, it certainly never spoiled the day, nothing could have spoiled it, but it did sadden them all.

AJ crept into her and Punks room after putting the kids to bed, looking at him standing shirtless, in the process of stripping off to get into bed, walking around him and over to her side, unzipping her dress and shimmying it down her figure, feeling him stare closely at her, almost hearing the tightness in his pants from across the bed.

"Two more weeks." She smiled over at him, opening her drawer for pyjamas to wear, only having two weeks to go until they could be intimate again after so long, not being advised to have sex until six weeks after birth.

Punk just smiled across at her, watching her put her pyjamas on, undoing their ready-made bed.

"What do you think about Dean and Renee moving then?" Punk asked her.

"I'm happy for them. They obviously like it over there." AJ smiled.

"I've been thinking myself…" Punk said.

"What did I tell you about that?" AJ looked across at him with a sly smile, watching him chuckle sarcastically.

"No… I'm being serious. Maybe… maybe this place has too many ghosts." He said, looking around their room.

"I'd say our room holds pretty awesome nights." She smiled.

"Not just our room." Punk said, "I'm being serious." He said, wanting her to take this seriously.

"So… what exactly are you trying to say?" She asked him, pulling back the covers from their bed, still not getting in yet, looking across at him.

"Maybe it's time for us to get out of here. Settle down somewhere permanently, just in time for the twins starting kindergarten." Punk said.

"And where exactly are you thinking of?" She asked him.

"Why don't we move back home?" He said, having been thinking about it as of late. If they were going to start a new chapter of their life, why not start it properly?

"Home?" AJ fluttered her eyelashes at him, folding her arms.

"Chicago." He said, looking to her with a positive smile.

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	50. Chapter 50

It wasn't an easy decision to make, but they made it anyway. AJ loved it here in Puerto Rico, she felt like they'd really become the strong couple they were today over here, but Punk was right, maybe it was time to go home. Maybe this place held too much ghosts and scars.

She slept on it and finally decided that it was for the best, for her growing family to continue growing, they right thing to do would be to move to Chicago. The kids could get used to having their gran and aunties around, adjust to the freezing cold snowy winters, go to kindergarten and school there. Really settle down.

"When are we going to tell them then?" AJ asked, sitting on the couch one night with Punks arm around her shoulder, the twins watching a movie sitting beside Punk.

"I think we should tell them at dinner on Sunday." Punk suggested.

Dean and Renee decided they would cook dinner for their friends on Sunday night, their final night of staying in Puerto Rico, their way of saying goodbye, for now anyway. Punk figured it would be appropriate to tell them then.

"Good idea." AJ agreed, "Have you been looking at houses?" She asked him, resting her head into him as some child programme played on the TV, amusing the twins beside them.

"Yeah. I've seen a few nice ones, I'd rather we seen them in person though. We can crash at my mom's house while we look." Punk said.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I didn't think I would be this excited to go back to Chicago." She admitted, being oddly excited to move back home.

"Me neither." Punk agreed, "I feel like it's where we're meant to be. It's where the kids are meant to grow up. We can leave everything that has happened over the past year behind." Punk said, reaching down and kissing AJ's head, putting his other arm around the twins who were snuggled into him and each other while they watched their cartoon.

_Sunday…_

"That's him just went down." AJ sighed, walking down Renee and Dean's staircase after laying James down to sleep on their bed, he was getting rather cranky whilst everyone was having dinner, so she took it upon herself to go soothe him to sleep, feed him in privacy and change him, joining her friends back at the dinner table.

The twins were sat over in the living room watching TV with tired eyes, Blake was in the middle of getting fed from the bottle by Seth and little Faye was upstairs in her cot sleeping.

"He isn't normally like that." Renee said, surprised at little James crying his way through dinner.

"I know. He's sleeping now so we can eat in peace." AJ smiled, taking her seat beside Punk and smiling to him as he kissed her cheek.

"Now that we're all here and listening…" Seth said, "Me and Paige actually have some news of our own." Seth said, watching all four of his friends look at him while he passed Blake to her mother.

Punk assumed they were getting married, it was the only news that would have made sense, but he was wrong.

"Paige has been offered a place in the New York school of Art. It's really hard to get into it…" He looked to Paige who nodded, "And she really wants to go, I know she does… so, we're heading back to New York in a few weeks." Seth smiled.

Everyone digested the news first of all and then went on to congratulate Paige for getting into this obviously incredible school in New York. Everyone knew how good of an artist she really was. It was only fitting that Punk jumped in after everyone had settled down after Seth and Paige's news.

"Well… while we're at it… me and AJ aren't planning to say here for much longer either. We're moving back to Chicago." Punk smiled, feeling AJ rest her hand on his lap under the table.

"We're all moving from here?" Renee said, all of them exchanging stares to one another, all of them realising that they were now all parting ways separately, to go live life on their own now.

"Looks like it." Punk said, his arm around AJ as they all looked at one another.

"I'm going to miss not living together." AJ said. She really was going to miss her friends, she'd been used to them being around so close for so long, now it was time to part their ways and live their lives, individually.

"We all are." Dean said, leaning back on his chair as they all watched Seth raise his glass.

"Well… let's make a toast to this place. Some shitty, shitty things have happened here, we all know that, but we're leaving them behind and taking the good memories with us. To a new start…" He raised his glass with a smile.

Everyone else reached for their glasses, toasting to that as they continued to enjoy the rest of their night before the hectic packing and sad goodbyes would start soon.

_A few weeks later…_

Running up to the last few days of everyone's life in Puerto Rico, moving vans had taken up most space in their street, being loaded with AJ and Punks belongings which were getting transported to Chicago just like Dean and Renee's things were going to Paris and the same with Paige and Seth to New York.

The twins shockingly enough remembered vaguely about Chicago and knew the word to be in their memory at one point, not really understanding why they were moving there though.

AJ had no idea why she was getting so emotional over leaving, but she guessed it was just the thought of leaving everything that she had been through behind, picking herself back up with her family and creating a new life where her husband and children were the only thing that mattered.

After they all said goodbye to their houses, especially their beloved pools which all three of Punk, Dean and Seth were sad to be leaving for obvious reasons, they took cabs to the airport where they all had flights to catch, all completely different gates to go to in the airport, all of their belongings already being transported to their new lives.

"I guess this is it then…" Punk said. They all stood in the airport, the twins standing close to AJ while Punk carried James. Dean stood proudly with Faye in his arms while Paige and Seth stood close together with Blake.

"This is harder than what I thought it would." Renee sighed, leaning in against Dean as she looked around at her friends who she didn't want to leave.

"I love you all." AJ smiled, wiping her tear that ran down her cheek.

They all hugged each other a painful goodbye, knowing that they wouldn't see each other until a long time, they were all moving on in life, in different places with different surroundings.

It was hard to pull away from each other, almost physically impossible, but they all did, taking their families separately away as they headed to their three different flight gates, Sam finding her way up on Punks back while Charlie held on to his mother's hand, James fast asleep in her arms as they walked down the airport, not looking back or else she would have lost it. Her friends were her everything and knowing that her and Punk were going it alone now, it upset her yet it felt nice to just have time to spend with Punk and her children, just them forever.

Dean and Renee headed off to their gate with Faye while Paige and Seth walked off the opposite direction with Blake, all of them going their separate ways into their new separate lives, upset right now but knowing they would get on fine being the independent mother and fathers that they were. It was time to let the past go, live for the present and dream for the future, moving on and letting go.

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	51. Chapter 51

"Is he asleep yet?" AJ asked as she sat down on her seat on the noisy plane, heading into the last hour of their remaining flight, James not seeming to go to sleep. She'd gone to the toilet and to stretch her legs whilst hoping that Punk could humour James and get him to sleep, thankfully he did.

"Yeah." Punk smiled, James fast asleep in his arms, the twins sitting beside him, sharing the one seat as they watched the film on the seat in front of them, the small TV screen lighting up the dark plane has they flew through the night.

"Do you want me to take him?" AJ asked generously.

"No, it's ok. Just relax." Punk smiled, feeling comfortable holding his sleeping son whilst his wife leaned into him beside him, the twins slowly but surely falling asleep beside him on the other side.

"Your mom knows we're coming, right?" AJ said, just making sure, sinking down into the seat, leaning her head into Punk, the loud engine of the plan ringing through her ears.

"Yeah. Me and you are sleeping in the living room, I figured the twins could have Chaleens room, James can sleep in his crib in with them." Punk said, having spoken to his mom the previous night before, to make sure she was ready for them crashing at hers before they got settled into a new home.

"I have this crazy expectation of us living in a house in the middle of nowhere, a room for each of the kids, a huge front garden where the twins will build snowmen in the winter… I don't know." She shrugged with embarrassment.

"Well… maybe that doesn't have to just be an expectation." Punk whispered in her ear, making sure she heard him over the loud engine.

AJ just smiled and leaned her body against his warmth, feeling his arm wrap around her, his other arm holding James as he slept. She knew wherever they went, as long as she had him and their children, she didn't care where they lived or how. As long as they were together.

_The next day…_

After Punk and AJ arrived home in Chicago, early hours of the morning, and crashed straight at Punks mom's house, it wasn't long until the sun was up which meant Punk was up, leaving AJ to sleep on the couch while he made breakfast.

He figured that him and AJ would go house hunting alone, if his mom didn't mind watching the kids, he knew she would love to spend time with them, they were good kids and would behave well anyway, so he didn't have to worry about that.

He had to admit, stepping off that plane and smelling that Chicago air, the frost nipping his nose, it felt great, he was sure that this was the right thing to be doing.

Him and AJ of course got straight down to house scouting, not wanting to be a burden on Punks mom for any longer than a few days, it was too small of a house to keep three distressed children in.

While AJ and Punk went off looking at houses after AJ woke up, the twins and James were safe with Carol, getting to know their grandmother a little bit better, telling her all about their life in Puerto Rico, not really sure who the women was to be honest, but having a sense of trust in her.

"This place looks nice." Punk said, driving up to a house that was for sale, exactly how AJ explained what her ideal house would look like, a single house on its own, out of reach from everyone but in still perfect travelling distance for work and the kid's schools.

"Looks a little creepy." AJ said, feeling a cold vibe as soon as they drove up to the house.

"I think it looks good." Punk said, "It's exactly what you were looking for, a house on its own, away from everything." Punk said, stopping the car engine and getting out with AJ, walking straight over to the obvious real estate agent.

"I'm Phil Brooks…" Punk introduced himself to the women, shaking her hand, "This is my wife April." He introduced AJ.

"I'm Colette." The women smiled, maybe in her late 40's, early 50's, a clipboard in her hand as she studied AJ and Punk, "Are you interested in this house?" She asked them.

"Yeah, we'll take a look around." Punk said, watching Colette nod and walk on ahead, taking hold of AJ's hand as they looked around the place.

Punk and AJ proceeded to walk around the house, looking around the different rooms, not really won over yet by the house, especially AJ who still felt strange about the place.

"Who were the last owners of the house?" AJ asked curiously as they continued to tour the house, staying fairly close to Punk, gripping his hand tightly, not really feeling safe in this house, even if she was just looking around in it.

"Does it matter?" Colette said, continuing to walk in front of Punk and AJ.

"Well if you want me to even consider buying the house then yes, it does matter." AJ said, pausing with Punk as the suspicious woman turned around to face her.

"Just a couple like you two, a few kids, they moved away into town. I don't know… I didn't know them personally, I just sell the houses around here." She said, turning back around as AJ looked up at Punk in anger, not with him, but at this extremely rude and strange woman.

After walking around and seeing most of the house, they found themselves outside, standing alone with each other and discussing.

"I don't know Phil." AJ hugged her arms as she looked up at the house, "I think we could find somewhere better and less… creepier." AJ said as she glanced at the house.

Don't get her wrong, it was a beautiful house, big and spacious, perfect for infant children, but there was an unknown presence and cold air about the place that she didn't like. She wasn't sure if she envisioned herself living here.

"It isn't creepy." Punk laughed at her worry over nothing. From his manly instincts of being all tough and not believing in suspiciousness and strange air, he thought it was the perfect house for them, exactly what AJ was looking for, "This place is good for us. It's a good price, amazing space, close distance to my mom… it's perfect." Punk said, watching AJ continue to look around at it.

"You really think so?" AJ looked at him, folded arms in deep thought.

"I know so. The twins will love it, James will have a great surrounding to grow up. I think we'd be fools not to take it." He said.

AJ just hmm'd and continued to look up at the house, noticing Colette at the corner of her eye, glancing over at her and her husband's private conversation.

"Ok." AJ nodded with a smile, "I guess once we paint and add our things it will look better, right?" AJ said, trying to convince herself.

"Right." Punk agreed with her, "Are you sure?" He asked her, just to be sure

"I'm sure." AJ said, taking his hands in hers and smiling up at him, going forward with this decision, knowing she would fall in love with the house regardless at one point, it would just take some time.

_A few weeks later…_

After all the paper work was settled and they were given the keys, they began to unpack all their belongings into the new house, the twins insisting they helped, even though they were just creating more mess.

Punk's mom and sister had been coming over every now and then to help with the unpacking, helping their son and brother make the house look a little bit like home.

Punk could feel AJ still being a little tense with the house which upset him, with their previous houses she fell in love with them as soon as they moved in, but he knew she would end up in love with it.

Their things were really coming together in the house and were starting to feel a little like home for AJ, the only thing that was left to do was upstairs.

For the past weeks of moving in, the twins had been sleeping in Punk and AJ's moved in bed in their room with James in the same room in his crib while AJ and Punk crashed on the couch, not having got the twins rooms even started yet.

Punk had just got off the phone with Seth and Dean who were doing exactly what he was doing, unpacking, unpacking and more unpacking. He made his way into the large kitchen where AJ was standing, lifting glasses from the packed box, storing them in the cabinet above.

"Fell in love yet?" Punk said, trying to ease AJ from being so tense about the new house, it wasn't like her.

"No." She chuckled, "Just give me a few weeks." AJ asked, not wanting him to keep asking her, really feeling uncertain about this place still, a bad vibe getting to her about it.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "How about you put they glasses down and come over to me." Punk smiled, watching AJ smile as she sat down the glasses, turning around to him and walking close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up to him.

"We're going to be alright here." Punk whispered, brushing one strand of her hair out of her face, reaching down and taking her lips into his, gliding his tongue into her mouth as she deepened it with lust. A lust full of home excitement and the start of forever for them.

Punk carelessly threw some boxes on the floor to clear space, propping AJ up on the kitchen counter as he began to kiss her again, reaching her lips perfectly as he felt her run her hands through his hair in a relaxing type of way, their lips continuing to intertwine with each other, soon feeling Punk travel away from her lips and down to her neck, kissing the collarbone and all around her sensitive spots.

"Phil…" AJ moaned, her hands grasping his back as she pulled his t-shirt up at the back, wanting it off him, watching him help her out and strip it off, throwing it over on the floor and going back to her lips, moving all the way back down to her neck again, hearing her moan and claw at his now naked back, feeling the impact of her nails more severely now.

"Are you going to let me fuck you on the kitchen table?" Punk whispered with a gruff voice in her ear.

AJ just smiled and chuckled, her eyes shut from the pleasure she was taking in, "Do what you want…" She gave him permission, stripping her own t-shirt off as he got interested in her upper body, unclasping her bra with a thrill of watching her breasts perch up to his eyesight. Ever since she started breast feeding he swore they had gotten bigger and he had absolutely no problem in that.

AJ rolled her head back when she felt him latch on to her breasts and cup them in his hands, showing her that he was in control of her body now.

They hadn't done this in so long, almost a year, it was too hard to stop now.

AJ could feel her panties wet and begging for attention, the arousal of him playing with her breasts really hitting the spot, only getting her started.

"Phil… Oh…" AJ moaned, cupping the back of his head as he continued to toy and play with her breasts, every now and then meeting her lips for a gentle or rough kiss.

But she wasn't here to be teased, she really couldn't wait any longer now.

Punk watched her as she tangled her hands down beneath them, tugging at his jeans and unzipping his fly, pulling his jeans and boxers down just enough so his length could escape out and find its way home.

She lifted her hips up for Punk to take her jeans off which he did in an instant, holding her body completely naked to his as he stroked his length up and down her wet slit, feeling him scoot her bottom closer to the edge of the work top before pushing himself into her again after all this time.

"Yes…" AJ moaned, "Oh baby." She rolled her eyes back in a flutter of pleasure, holding on to him around his back as he growled in her ear at the relief of being back inside her again after feeling like an eternity.

"I've missed you." Punk moaned at his own pleasure, his stomach tingling as he pushed in and out of her, picking her up from the counter and slamming her across at the fridge, the whole cabinet shaking as he done so, kissing her deeply on the mouth as he thrusted his hips into her.

"Phil… oh god, Phil, that's right…" She moaned, feeling him set every button off inside her, her walls getting tighter and tighter as he got faster and faster.

_A few hours later…_

They both sat down on the kitchen floor, backs against the cupboard, AJ's body covered with just Punk's t-shirt, Punk sitting just in his boxers as they'd wore each other completely out.

"See, this place isn't so bad." Punk smiled, leaning his head back, feeling satisfied.

"I guess you're right." AJ smiled across to him, "I'm going to need to clean myself up." AJ said, feeling all sweaty and sticky.

"Not right now." Punk said, "I don't think I'm quite finished with you." He smiled, grabbing her by the leg and pulling her round to straddle his hips, her wetness soaking through his boxers already as she straddled his hips, gently leaning in to kiss him when they heard a sharp scream from upstairs, knowing exactly that it was from their daughter. They both looked at each other and Punk, through no fault of his own, recklessly pushed AJ off of him, getting to his feet and running for the stairs, going as fast as his feet could carry him, AJ quickly coming after him.

Punk burst through the room door where the twins were meant to be sleeping, ready to kill whoever it was in the house harassing his family already, but he found the room to be completely empty, the twins sitting up in bed looking at him, James fast asleep in his crib.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked them, AJ running in after him and looking around the room.

"The man said I was to be quiet." Sam said, sitting indian style on the bed as she looked across at her mother and father, not really knowing who it was she seen from her awoken sleep.

"What man?" Punk shook his head.

"Just the man. He told me not wake Charlie and to be quiet." She folded her arms, not ever liked to be told what to do.

AJ was absolutely screaming inside. Her daughter was either talking nonsense and just had a very bad dream, or there was someone in their house. Punk just turned to AJ with a weary glance, not understanding this, if there was a man in their house, they would have seen him already and caught him coming out of the room, but there was nothing. The only thing to put it all down to was Sam having a really weird and scary dream that caused her to scream. It was bound to be that, moving so drastically to a new home that was huge and still quite cold, their daughter was bound to have a few nightmares. That's all it was.

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**This story has yet to finish ladies and gentleman. Thanks for all the REVIEWS, so appreciated.**


	52. Chapter 52

"What man sweetheart?" Punk said, walking round to Sam, crouching down at the bedside, looking up at her.

"He was standing over there." Sam pointed to the corner of the room.

"And what did he say to you?" Punk asked, trying to be as calm as he could with his daughter.

"He told me not to wake my brothers. Then he told me that mommy and daddy were busy in the kitchen and wouldn't hear me…" She said, "But you did hear me." She smiled, acting like nothing was wrong and swaying back and forth sitting up.

"What did the man look like?" Punk asked.

"He was dressed funny. He had a hat on." Sam said, lying back down in bed.

"Well, maybe mommy and daddy will sleep with you guys tonight, just in case he comes back." Punk said, trying his best to act calm about the situation.

"No… he said only I can see him." Sam said.

Punk turned to AJ watching her frozen in fear at the door, completely terrified with what her daughter was telling them, almost as if she was hallucinating or seen a ghost.

Punk didn't feel safe leaving the twins alone upstairs with baby James, so he and AJ got into bed, Sam and Charlie asleep in the middle while James slept in his crib beside Punks side, the house quiet and still.

"Children see ghosts all the time." Punk whispered, playing with Sam's hair below as he turned his head to AJ lying in fear beside him.

"I knew there was something about this house…" AJ shook her head in a mutter, "You heard what she said… whoever it was that was speaking to her was watching us too." She shivered, "I don't feel safe here." She admitted.

"Chaleen used to see ghosts all the time when she was a kid. It was just a phase she grew out of. Nothing bad is going to happen." He tried to convince her.

"It's fucking weird though." AJ whispered, completely scared out of her whit's.

"I know." Punk nodded, "Once we get everything unpacked, really settle in… everything will be fine." He said, reaching for her hand and stroking the top of it with his thumb, "It's not the dead you need to be frightened of, it's the living." He said.

"Phil that isn't helping me." She said, appreciating him trying but not particularly calming her down any.

Punk just leaned over and kissed her head, the twins tangled between them as they huddled close together.

He did believe in ghosts, he always had, but he had to admit, having Sam talk all of this talk to him really spooked him out. But kids seen ghosts all the time, he wasn't completely worried.

_One week later…_

After AJ had a long conversation with Punks mom about his sisters seeing ghosts when they were kids, she did feel a little at ease, but she still was completely horrified that her daughter was seeing people that were talking to her. She put it down to the weird house.

The house was just about finished, everything was painted and unpacked, downstairs was completely finished, Punk and AJ's room was finished, the kid's rooms were finished, all that was left to do was the bathrooms.

The only time AJ seemed not to be thinking about the ghosts and Sam was when Punk was taking her mind someplace else in the sky.

"So many places to have sex in this house." Punk smiled against AJ's kiss, her body on top of his as they slowly made out with each other, not getting too deep just yet.

"I want you so much right now." AJ said in almost a purr, her hands on his naked chest as she continued to kiss him deeply, slowly shifting her hips up and down on him in rhythm.

Punk was about to flip AJ over on to her back and devour her with his love, but their attention was both brought to their bedroom door that began to open rather slowly.

Punk being the protective husband he was, pushed AJ off of him and behind him, feeling her huddle herself behind his back as he propped himself up on his elbow, watching as Sam stumbled through the door.

"Sam… what are you doing?" Punk said, sitting up as AJ done the same, looking over Punks shoulder at a non-responsive Sam.

"She's sleep walking." AJ whispered to Punk, being able to tell with the way Sam was carrying herself, the way her eyes were alert without a cause.

"Can she hear me?" Punk asked AJ.

"No. Just lift her up and put her back into bed." AJ said, watching Punk stand up and take Sam with him exiting their room.

AJ lay on her back in their room, holding the covers against her as she stared at the ceiling. She didn't like this place, not one bit. Sam had never sleep walked in her life, nor had she ever seen ghosts. It was all a little too horrifying for her to take in. She just wanted a nice house to raise her family in, to feel warm and at home. She didn't feel any of that here.

It was early hours into the morning when it happened. Their arousals for each other had left them when their daughter walked in and they both just fell asleep with each other.

Punk however had fell into a rather deep sleep, his whole body concentrated on what was going on in his brain, images and pictures running through him, hearing voices in his head.

He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up, his eyes just wouldn't open.

He tossed and turned, in result of waking AJ up.

"Phil… what is it?" AJ moaned at being woken up, turning around and looking as Punk scrunched his face up in his sleep, tossing and turning around in the covers, mumbling un constructed sentences out.

"Phil." AJ tapped his chest lightly, getting a little scared with how her husband was acting, he looked like he was concentrated on listening to something and then suddenly his eyes popped open and he sat up gasping for air.

His heart was beating rapidly as he swung his legs round out of the bed, his back facing AJ as he ran his hands through his face, feeling like he was still trapped in his nightmare.

"Phil, are you ok?" AJ asked, moving across the bed and sitting directly behind him.

"Jesus Christ…" Punk groaned rubbing his eyes.

"It was just a bad dream." AJ said, "You're ok." She said, leaning over from behind and kissing his shoulder, "Come back into bed." She whispered, "I'll make it all better." She insisted, watching him turn and looking at her behind him.

Her pyjama t-shirt was loose around her body and she slept in just her panties, spreading her legs as she kneelt up on the bed behind him.

"You just a bad dream." She ran her hands through her hair, feeling him move back into bed, laying her down on her back as this seemed to take his mind away from that painful, intoxicating dream.

"April." Punk moaned as he kissed upon her, this being the only thing that was distracting him from that mind-numbing dream, his brain still hurting from it.

"Make love to me, Phil." AJ moaned, her lust for him that she had earlier returning as he cupped her breasts through her loose t-shirt, continuing to kiss her on the lips passionately.

He didn't know what that dream was about, all he knew was that it was best to ignore it. It was bad enough having to deal with Sam's distressing troubles. Although he did question that none of this had happened before they moved out here.

He just put it down to Sam being distressed by their move again, he remembered what she was like when they moved to Puerto Rico. And children did see ghosts sometimes. It was nothing to worry about, at least he hoped.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	53. Chapter 53

"Do you want to tell me what your dream was about?" AJ asked, lying on top of Punks chest, trailing her fingertips along the tattoos, looking up at him.

"I was running from something…" Punk said, "I don't know what… all these images were just popping up, faces I didn't know, I was hearing voices telling me I was going to pay." Punk said, stroking his hand up and down her arm.

"Pay for what?" AJ asked.

"I don't know. That's when I woke up." He said.

"Did you know anyone in the dream?" She asked, trying to be there for him, slightly confused about his random dream.

"No… it was all just faces popping up and jumping out at me." He said, his heart starting to race again just at the thought.

Lying here in bed with AJ, it didn't feel like it was right. It felt dark and gloomy, small and closed in even though the house was huge. Maybe that was the problem.

"I want to find out what happened to the people that lived in here before us." AJ said, feeling him stroke her hair softly.

"I thought they just moved away?" Punk said, going by the real estate agents words.

"You believe her?" AJ said, looking up at him.

"I just don't want you scaring yourself. Let's just try settle down. I was going to go out later to see about getting my old warehouse job back. You'll be alright here?" He said.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, knowing exactly what she was going to do while Punk was gone.

_Later on that day…_

"Where's daddy?" Charlie asked, sitting at the kitchen work top on the high stools beside Sam, AJ making them their lunch as she kept a close listen out for James through the baby monitor in the kitchen, picking up noises from upstairs in his room where he was sleeping.

"He's out looking for a job." She said, buttering the bread as she made them a sandwich each, taking out two juice boxes from the fridge and sitting them down beside them, putting their lunch out in front of them and leaving them in peace to eat while she left the kitchen for a second, heading into the living room when she heard a smashing noise come from the kitchen.

She turned back and ran into the kitchen, looking at the twins looking at her.

"What did you smash?" She looked at them.

Charlie looked to his sister and then back to his mother, looking at her like she was insane.

"Nothing." Charlie shrugged, looking up at AJ strangely.

"I heard something smash… you aren't in trouble." She told them, just wanting to know what they had smashed so she could clean it up.

"Never smashed anything." Sam shook her head, biting into her sandwich, "Man is outside." She said.

"Dammit Samantha there is no man!" AJ shouted to comfort her own self.

"Hey, is anyone in there…" Someone knocked at the back door, a man, just like Sam said.

"Sam… I…" AJ watched as Sam jumped off the seat and ran away past her out of the kitchen.

"Hello…" The voice came from the back garden again, a fist banging at the kitchen door.

"Charlie, go get your sister and tell her I want to see her." AJ said, watching Charlie nod and hop off to go find where Sam had went to while she sorted out who was at the door.

"Hello, can I help you?" AJ asked at the inconvenience, opening the door and looking at the old man standing in front of her, a rake in his hands with grass stuck through it.

"I smashed a plant pot… I'll replace it tomorrow." He croaked.

"Right." AJ nodded, "And… who are you?" She asked, not trying to be rude.

"I'm the gardener around here." He said, "I do it for free, you don't have to pay me." He said.

AJ just nodded with a weary smile, "Ok… well the plant pots aren't really mine anyway." She said.

"Ok. I'll be on my way." He said, taking his hat off to her and stepping back to walk away.

AJ figured if he had been the gardener for as long as the age he looked, maybe he'd know something about the house, "Wait…" AJ said, watching the stout man stop in his tracks and turn back to her, "You don't happen to know anything about this house?" She asked.

"I know too much." He croaked in his hoarse voice.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked politely.

"To speak to a pretty girl like you? Always." The man nodded, walking towards AJ and into the kitchen.

AJ closed the door over and turned around to see the old man, maybe in his late 50's, looking in her fridge unpolitely. She looked past him however when she seen Sam and Charlie standing over in the corner.

She walked over to her children and crouched down to them.

"I'm sorry for shouting, Sam." AJ apologised to her daughter who really was being truthful about the man at the door, "I want you to both go into the living room, take your juice with you…" AJ stood up straight and past her two three year olds their juice, "I'll just be a minute talking to the man, ok?" She looked at them as they both nodded and ran away into the living room, pushing each other.

"That all the kids you have?" The man asked, sitting up at kitchen table as AJ turned to him.

"No… I have another son, he's just four months old." She smiled, walking over to the kettle and pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"So what's the deal? Are you a single mom?" The man asked rudely.

"No." AJ said, "My husband is out right now." She said, holding the cup of coffee in her hands as she stared at the old man.

"So what is it you want to know about this place then?" He asked.

"Who lived here before? Why did they leave the house?" AJ asked, leaning over the counter and sipping at her roasting coffee.

"A young couple with two daughters." The man said, "They'd moved from the city, always fought with each other." The man said, "The house drove the wife insane, no one believed her when she said it was haunted, including her husband." The man said.

"Why didn't they just leave?" AJ asked.

"I'm not sure. I wasn't close to them, I just done the gardening." He said.

"So what happened to them?" AJ asked curiously.

"The little girls… they were found hung outside, just a few yards from here at the tree, they had a tyre swing there, conspiracy says they done it to themselves, they were three and six years old. It was insane to believe they had done it to themselves." The man said.

AJ's hand was covering her mouth as she put her cup of coffee down, standing up straight.

"Why would someone…" She whispered to herself.

"The husband blamed the wife, she'd been acting crazy for a while, he only suspected she had done it, so he killed her, slit her throat and…"

"Alright alright…" AJ waved her hand in front of her, "You're not bullshitting with me are you?" She said, only having known this man for a few minutes, not willing to believe everything he was saying.

"You wanted to know what happened… I told you." He said, "Save your family the trouble and get out of here. This house will break you." He said.

AJ tapped her fingers against the kitchen counter, ready to speak up again, something in her mind to ask when she heard Punk come home through the door.

"April… sweetheart. I have good news." Punk exclaimed as he walked through the door.

AJ excused herself from her conversation with the old man and met Punk at the door, her face pure white, like a ghost you could say, watching his smile fade when he seen the look on her face.

"What's wrong?" He said.

"The gardener is telling me all about the people who lived here before us, Phil… this place isn't safe." She said, leading him into the kitchen, about to introduce him to the gardener when she looked upon the empty kitchen.

"April, are you ok?" Punk asked her.

"Don't look at me like that." AJ pointed to him.

"Like what?" Punk threw his hands up in the air, really not seeing the point in all this fear AJ was carrying with her.

"Like I'm crazy." AJ said, "I don't want to live here. The couple that lived here before killed each other and their children were hung outside at some stupid tyre swing. I hate it he…"

"You mean the tyre swing that Charlie and Sam are playing on right now… out in the garden." Punk said, pointing behind him as he looked at AJ's face drop, not thinking it was a big deal, the kids looked like they were having fun to him when he drove home. They must have crept out whilst AJ was speaking to the gardener who had mysteriously disappeared out of nowhere.

AJ pushed by Punk, running for the front door and running out, going as fast as her legs would take her, treading through the long grass in the front garden, reaching for Sam and Charlie and pulling them into her, crouching down and hugging them into her, looking over them at the tyre swing hanging from the tree behind, watching it swing back and forth.

"You don't play out here ok…" AJ looked at them both, "Do you understand?" She said, watching them nod at their mother's panicked face.

"Come on, let's go back inside. Don't ever come back out here again, ok?" She looked at both of them, lifting them both up into her arms as they leaned their heads against her shoulder, not understanding why their mother was so on edge with everything lately.

Punk walked out to the front hall when he heard the door shut, looking at AJ walk in with Charlie and Sam in her arms, such a worried look on her face.

"I want out of this place. I can't live here." AJ looked at him, walking by with her children in her arms, giving him a deadly serious look.

She refused to live in some freak show house that had blood stains in the carpet and outside on the tree's. She didn't feel safe here, she didn't feel safe for her or her kids, not even for Punk. She couldn't live here, not if it was her only choice.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**

**Damn freaky house.**


	54. Chapter 54

"Do you want to talk about what just happened there?" Punk asked AJ as she walked into the living room, her hands and arms shaking, sitting down hesitantly on the couch across from him, after putting the kids to bed and feeding James, taking so much time to do it and hugging each child just that little bit longer before they went to sleep.

"I can't live here." AJ shook her head, "I won't." She refused.

"So I had a bad dream, Sam's doing some sleep walking. What's the big deal?" Punk looked at her in confusion.

"Did you not hear what I told you?" She looked at him, "The people who lived here before us killed each other, their children were…" She bit her tongue and turned from him.

"You're going to believe some old ghost story that the perverted old gardener told you?" Punk looked at her like she was insane.

"This is exactly how he said it started… with him not believing her. You're going to think I killed our children." AJ pointed to him as she cried.

"April." Punk sighed as he stood up, walking over to her as she held her hands in her hair in frustration, feeling him sit next to her, "You're overreacting. Whatever shit he told you, whatever nonsense he filled your brain with, forget about it. If things like that happened they would have closed off this place. Would you honestly think I would keep you and our children here if I thought it wasn't safe?" He asked her.

"I'm just scared, Phil." AJ sighed, leaning into him as she hugged her arms around his body.

"You don't have to be." Punk said, kissing her head as he rubbed his hand gently up and down her arm.

He'd never seen her like this, so on edge and scared, she was always the tough one, not taking shit from anyone, but in this case she was so weak and vulnerable, believing anything and anyone. He couldn't get the look out of his mind when he said about Sam and Charlie innocently playing on the perfectly fine tyre swing in the front garden. The way she ripped them away so quickly and possessively, as if making a statement to someone out there that they were her children and they belonged to her. She was tough in that way he supposed.

"Charlie, Sam, James… they're all fine, ok?" Punk said, feeling her slightly nod, not having anything else to say.

She hadn't been this scared since Joe's attacks on her, it was the same paranoia she was feeling, the same lurching anxiety at the bottom of her stomach, no matter what Punk said, no matter how many times he hugged her, she still felt frightened, and that scared her even more.

"Maybe tomorrow you should go out with my mom, you know… just have a day to yourselves, I'll keep an eye on the kids, I think you need some time to yourself." He said.

"You won't let them play at that swing, will you?" She looked up at him.

"AJ why can't they…" He paused and looked at her fearful face, "No, no… I won't let them go near it." He said, for her panicked self.

"Thank you." AJ said, leaning her head back down against his chest, "You never told me how you got on with getting your job?" AJ said, trying to ease into normal conversation now.

"Things went good. I got my job back and managed to get good shifts. I also popped into the hospital on my way home, hints to why I was so long… I spoke to your old boss and she's willing to give you your old job back to." He smiled.

"Really?" AJ looked up at Punk with a smile, having missed being a nurse so much, she never thought she would have said that.

"Really." Punk nodded, "Promise me you'll let all this weird shit go." He said.

"I promise." AJ nodded, second guessing herself on why she bothered to believe that creepy old gardener anyway, she had Punks protection, her strong, and protective husband's protection. No one could harm her or her children.

"Well now that you've calmed down, what do you say we…" Punk couldn't speak his suggestion, AJ already knew what it was and sprang for his lips, the burning sensation of want and need filling up in her already, her lips and tongue interlocking with hers as she climbed on top of him.

"I do have to admit…" AJ moaned against his lips, feeling him move to her neck as he wrapped his arms around her, tilting her neck to give him better access, "This house does make me so much wetter. Or maybe you're just getting better…" She said, hearing him chuckle a little against her neck.

"I didn't think I could get any better." Punk said cockily, kissing AJ back upon the lips, stripping her t-shirt up quickly and off her, unclasping her bra as he stared at her for a minute.

"Baby, make me feel good." AJ moaned, continuing to straddle his hips, caressing the back of his head as she gently guided it into her breasts, letting him catch on and begin teasing her, sucking on the tender flesh as she ran her hands through his hair.

"April." Punk moaned, watching AJ climb off of him, unbuckling his belt to his jeans and pulling them down with his boxers while he stripped off his t-shirt, quickly throwing it away and turning his attention back to AJ.

Punk looked down as AJ stroked him up and down, her soft hand wrapping around his thick length, continuing to stroke him up and down before closing her mouth around the tip of his cock, resting her hands on his thighs while she bobbed her head up and down.

"April… Oh god." Punk moaned, his eyes rolling back with his head, tangling his hands in AJ's hair as he cursed under his breath at the pleasure flowing through his blood stream.

AJ let his length free from his mouth with an audible pop, standing up and shimmying her jeans and panties down, kicking them away as she straddled back on Punks hips, kissing him upon the lips as she cupped his cheeks, feeling him grip his length and find her entrance.

"Yes… Oh yes." AJ moaned as she began shifting her hips up and down, with Punks help, his hands on either side of her hips, moving her up and down at a fast pace.

"You're so tight…" Punk moaned, "So beautiful." He kissed her shoulder as she bounced up and down on his hardened length that was buried deep inside her.

She was gloving onto him so tight, tighter than usual, maybe it was the fear she had from the house showing through, whatever it was… it was making his pleasure ten times more sensual and tense, having her wet hot centre cling on to him for dear life.

"Let yourself go… you don't have to be frightened." Punk whispered in her ear, brushing her hair from her face as he looked up at her, increasing the pace of moving her hips up and down, his length slipping in and out of her so easily.

"Make me scream, baby…" AJ moaned, tilting his chin up to her, "Fuck me hard." She moaned. She did love passionate, slow and full of love type sex, but her guilty pleasure was reckless sex on the couch in front of the fire.

"Cum for me, April. Be a good little girl and cum for daddy." Punk moaned in her ear, nudging her neck with his nose as she shivered at his words, her walls just getting tighter and tighter.

"Oh god… Phil!" AJ screamed, her hands on his shoulders as her body went numb, feeling him spill his seed inside her as she came hard, her body trembling as he growled loudly with her.

"Fuck…" Punk moaned at the intensity, feeling AJ collapse her naked self against him.

"That should scare the ghosts away." AJ chuckled with a smile, turning her head up to look at Punk face on, pressing her lips against his softly, she was just being mellow dramatic and paranoid over some stupid story the gardener had told her. This was their house now and as long as Punk was looking after her and their children, she had nothing to be afraid of.

_The next day…_

AJ had gone out with Punks mom for a day while he stayed home with the kids, keeping a close eye on them still at AJ's request.

He was currently feeding James in the kitchen with the milk that AJ had made up and put in the fridge, the twins sat up at the table watching him.

"You guys like it here?" Punk asked his children out of curiosity, feeding James with pride, looking down at his youngest child greedily gulping down the milk.

"I miss uncle Dean and Seth." Charlie said, resting his head on his hand, not understanding why they moved so far away and to such a dark and gloomy place.

"I miss home." Sam frowned.

"This is your new home now." Punk said with a smile, "I promise you guys will fall in love with it. Now, off you go into the living room, I'll be in in a minute with your lunch." He smiled to them both as they ran off.

He was going to make this the best possible surrounding to bring his children up in, it was a beautiful, spacious house, maybe a little too spacious, but it was going to be great for when the kids got older and he and AJ still needed their space, it was what he had been looking for, what AJ had been looking for since they agreed to move out to Chicago.

He was about to head into the living room with the twin's lunch, James still in his arms after being fed, when the front door went.

He walked out of the kitchen and headed for the door, opening it up and letting in Colette, the woman who sold the house to them, he assumed she was here with some paper work he had yet to receive.

"Here's your insurance policy and taxing number, unimportant things you don't need to read too." Colette said, handing Punk the papers, "What a cute little brat." She smiled at James in Punks arms.

Punk didn't know how to take that comment, so he just smiled a little and then walked into the kitchen with Colette following behind.

"You never told me we got a free gardener with the house. He was filling Aprils head up with a load of shit yesterday, you might want to get him out of here, before I do." Punk said, bouncing James lightly from side to side as he felt him start to get a little distressed and wriggly in his arms.

"Gardener?" Colette raised her eyebrows at Punk.

"Yeah. He was telling my wife all about the people who lived in here before us. Freaked her right out." Punk said.

"Mr Brooks, I can assure you there is no gardener for this residence here. The family that stayed here before you had one, but he passed away, along with the…"

Punk stepped back on one foot, stopping his bouncing movement with James, staring across at Colette, "Along with the?" He leaned in forward for the answer.

"Along with the family." Colette gave in, "I figured you wouldn't buy the house if I told you before, you seemed interested enough and I didn't want to lose out on another customer." Colette said.

"She was telling the truth…" Punk whispered to himself.

"I don't know who your wife was speaking to, Mr Brooks…" Colette said, "But the gardener from the residence before you died along with the rest of the family." She said, watching as Punk stood still, barely finding any strength to keep James up in his arms that was beginning to cry loudly.

"I'll be on my way." Colette said, walking out of the kitchen and out of the house, leaving Punk standing in the kitchen, James in his arms as he leaned against the kitchen counter for support, his mind completely stumped.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	55. Chapter 55

"Phil… I'm home." AJ said, walking into their house, a bag in her hand from the ice cream she collected for the twins.

"In the kitchen!" Punk shouted.

AJ heard him clearly and walked through to the kitchen, having had a nice day with her mother in law who had opened her eyes about the house. Nothing bad was going to happen to her here. It was a legitimate house that had been sold to them, it was theirs now, nothing bad was going to happen.

"Where are the twins? I got them ice cream." AJ said as she walked into the kitchen, noticing the twins weren't around, turning around to the freezer and putting the ice cream into the cold surrounding.

"They're taking a nap, James is asleep too." Punk said, watching her stand up and close the freezer over, smiling to him.

"Well, in that case." She bit her lip, walking close towards him, circling her hands around his neck with a smile.

"Later, yeah." Punk smiled, "I want to talk with you right now." He said, lightly taking her arms from around his neck.

"What's wrong?" AJ asked him curiously.

"The gardener you were talking to… you're sure he was a gardener?" Punk asked her, watching her fold her arms and look down.

"I thought we were letting all this shit go?" She looked up at him.

"I just want to know." Punk said.

"Well he told me he was a gardener, that he done it for free. Then he told me about the people who lived here before us." AJ said, "Why? Did you speak to him today?" AJ asked him.

"No… just, sit down sweetheart." Punk said, guiding her over to the stool at the kitchen counter, watching AJ look up at him strangely, not sure why he was acting so edgy with her.

"Are you sure everything is ok?" AJ asked him.

"Colette came round to see me. She was handing in the final paper work for this place… she said… you were right, the family that lived here before us did die in the house." Punk said.

AJ just sighed and ran her hand through her hair, knowing that the gardener was telling the truth, feeling unsafe again in the house.

"I told you…" She muttered.

"I know, I know…" Punk nodded, feeling terrible that he never believed AJ, "But sweetie… the gardener died with them. There is no gardener… who-who were you talking too yesterday?" Punk asked her like she was a child, nice and slow for her to understand.

"He told me he was the gardener. What… what else do you want me to say?" AJ looked at him for answers.

"You don't think you were just… seeing things?" Punk said.

AJ stood up off the seat, looking up at him, batting her eyes, "I am not crazy. He was in this kitchen speaking to me. Maybe it's a different guy, I don't know… but do not…" She pointed her finger at him, "Do not treat me like I'm out of my mind." She said.

"I'm not, baby. I'm not… I'm just worried about you." Punk said, putting his hands on either side of her arms, running them up and down her soft skin.

"I am not seeing things. He knocked at the kitchen door and I asked him to come in, I wanted to know more about the house and he told me, then he left. The twin's seen him, ask them." She said.

"It's ok… I believe you." Punk nodded to her, "I'm going to pop round to my mom's for some boxes she said we left. I'll be back soon." Punk said, kissing her on the cheek as she lightly smiled.

AJ turned round and watched him as he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his car keys and heading out to the front door.

She didn't know why he was coming out with all of this, as if she was an idiot that was imagining things. She just shook it off and walked out of the kitchen, about to head upstairs when something caught her eye.

She dropped her bag and jacket and looked across at the opened door at the back of the house. She done the unlikely thing and walked towards it slowly, getting up close and opening the door as wide as it could go.

She looked at the stairs heading down to what was obviously the basement. Most houses had basements, she didn't need to be afraid, but for once, she was interested as to what might be down there.

She took her phone out, sliding on the torch and took one step down onto the first stair, shining the torch down to see her way.

Finally getting down to the bottom, she coughed numerous times from all the dust, shining her torch around, looking for anything that may interest her or bring some suspicion on her.

Her torch caught on to a box of dollies, obviously belonging to the family before. She let out a small scream at the sight, looking at all the dolls staring at her. She walked over to a bench, looking at a box which was named 'photographs.'

She shined the torch into the box, grabbing the first picture frame that came to her reach, taking it out and shining the torch on the picture.

It was a beautiful picture took outside the house. Reminded her of her own family. The woman stood tall, really beautiful beside her husband, the two little girls standing in front.

She was about to sit the frame back in the box when something caught her eye, she had screw her eyes up and look close, but when she did, she dropped the frame out of her hand, listening to it smash into a million pieces on the floor.

_Later that night…_

Punk had collected the few boxes he had left his mothers and headed straight home, not wanting to leave AJ alone in the house for long. He really was worried about her.

When he came home through the door, he dumped the boxes at the door and headed through into the living room, looking at AJ sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, her eyes glued to the TV while the twins sat on the floor, busying themselves with their latest jigsaw, James was lying down on the play mat, staring up at the toys dangling down in front of him, the little tune playing over and over while the teddy's that hung spun around slowly, his beady little eyes following the colours and noise.

Punk smiled, taking a seat next to AJ and kissing her cheek, "I missed you." Punk whispered in her ear.

"Phil, you were only gone for an hour." AJ smiled.

"Still missed you." Punk winked, "Look at him…" Punk smiled over at James who was giving the cutest smiles up at the spinning toys above him on the play mat, kicking his legs in his baby grow.

"He's perfect." AJ smiled as she looked over at her son with a smile.

"I don't want to stop there." Punk whispered to her.

"Phil…" AJ smiled, "I've just had him." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I know. I'm just saying." Punk said, pressing kisses on her cheek every now and then when something caught his eye on the coffee table.

AJ watched as he leaned forward and picked up the photograph that she had smashed the frame of, watching him stare at it closely.

"This was the family that lived here before us?" He asked, knowing it obviously was, "Where did you get this?" He asked.

"The basement. It was in a frame in a box." She said, "Look…" She took the photograph from him and leaned into him, pointing to a spot on the picture.

"Is that the…"

"Gardener." AJ nodded, "He was in our kitchen, speaking to me. He didn't die with the family." She shook her head.

"I did believe you. You didn't have to prove this to me." Punk said, "I just wasn't sure considering Colette seemed sure that he was dead." Punk said.

"They looked like a nice family." AJ sighed, looking at the picture with Punk.

"Too bad what happened to them." Punk frowned.

"I'm exhausted… you wouldn't mind if I went to bed?" She asked him, making sure he'd be ok to keep an eye on the kids.

"No, of course not. On you go." Punk said, kissing her cheek as he watched her stand up and leave the living room to head upstairs to be.

He waited around 10 minutes before he quickly took his phone out and called Colette, asking her to bring any evidence of this man's death with her to the house. He hated to say it, but he didn't believe AJ, he believed this man was dead and that this house was driving his wife insane.

Once Punk waited agitatedly for their real estate agent to come by, he was up in a flash to answer the door to her, watching her walk in with a few bags in her hands, walking straight into the living room.

"Thanks for coming… I just wanted to be sure." Punk said.

"Mr Brooks…" Colette got frustrated easily, "This man is dead. Your wife told you it was this man here that she was speaking to?" Colette asked, picking the picture up that AJ had found in the basement.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"Well she's either insane or can see the dead. Either way I'd be concerned. The gardener… Mr Reid, was first to die in this house. He was sleeping with the wife, was shot dead in the act by the husband." Colette said.

"Jesus…" Punk muttered under his breath, "What actually happened to the family?" Punk asked, he never really listened to AJ when she explained everything she had heard about the house.

"Like I said… Mr Reid was first to go, then it was the two children, it was told to be said that they hung themselves on their own, but you and I know Mr Brooks, a three and six year old is not capable of that." Colette said.

"Over at the tyre swing…" Punk leaned back on the couch and put his hands in his hair, "That's why she…"

"She what?" Colette said.

"April… the twins were playing by the tyre swing… she, she ran after them and pulled them away. Whoever she was speaking to… he was telling her the truth?" He looked at her.

"I suppose so." Colette shrugged, "The man of the house assumed that his wife had hung their children, she'd been going crazy since moving into the house, so he… slit her throat and dismembered her body." Colette said, watching Punk cringe and scrunch his face up.

"And what happened to him? Is he still alive?" Punk asked.

"Oh no. Once the gardener was shot, the children were hung, the wife was dissected into pieces, he ate a bullet and the house was refurbished and cleaned top to bottom." She said.

"How do I know you aren't bullshitting me?" Punk said.

"Mr Brooks… I have other places to be. I don't need to be here telling you all of this information that frankly is none of your business." Colette said, "This house has a history, many more people have died here, it's been around since the 1920's. I told you all of this when you looked around." She said.

"You never told me anyone died here. You told my wife the couple before us just moved away." Punk said.

"I just sell the houses, Mr Brooks. I don't control what goes on inside them." She said.

"So what's your explanation? My wife is a nutjob who see's dead people or are you really bullshitting me about this fucking gardener?" He said.

"The gardener is dead." Colette said, "Maybe take your wife to see a psychiatrist or a doctor." Colette stood up, brushing herself down elegantly, "I'll be on my way now."

"You said this house has a past, other people have died here? What other people?" Punk asked, standing up as well.

"A lot of people have lived here before you, sir." Colette said, "All of them have died in the premises of the house."

"And you never thought to tell me that?!" Punk shouted, "I would never have spent a penny on this place if you told me that before." Punk said.

"Be nice to the house, the house will be nice to you. That is my only advice." Colette said.

"It's a fucking house." Punk rolled his eyes, "We'll be selling it. I won't go down in history with this fucked up place." Punk said.

"I wouldn't have said that, Mr Brooks." Colette picked her bags up, "You don't have a gardener to go first, I'd keep an eye on your children from now on. Watch out for that tyre swing outside." She smirked to him, walking by him as she walked down the long hall.

"We aren't staying here!" Punk yelled to her.

"The house decides when you leave." Colette said as she continued to walk towards the front door, her heels clicking against the floor as she opened the door and quickly left.

Punk sat down on the couch in a slump, ripping the picture up to pieces and running his hands through his hair, leaning forward and covering his mouth with his hands, looking over at the twins and James, his body shaking.

He was frightened of anything, apart from losing his family, but this house frightened him, that woman who sold it to him frightened him. He wanted out as soon as he could. Colette had made it quite clear that this was only the beginning, he wondered what her deal in all of this was.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	56. Chapter 56

**Hey guys! Sorry about the delay in uploading. I've been really ill and also my laptop was landed with a virus so everything was wiped from my laptop and I've been stressing out over losing all my files, but here is the next upload, apologies for keeping you all waiting, enjoy!**

"You're up late." AJ muttered, feeling Punk tiptoe into their bedroom later on in the night, the window showing nothing but darkness through the curtains as she turned her body, watching him stripping down to his boxer shorts with a smile, her smile discarding when she got a clear view of his face, the sheer fear in it.

"Phil…" AJ sat up in bed, "What's wrong?" She asked him, watching him sit down and lie down on his back, staring at him closely as he took a deep breath.

"We need to leave this place." Punk said, "We aren't safe." He told her, feeling her lie down beside him, leaning her head into his chest.

"You're scared?" AJ questioned, almost in a statement type of way, telling him that she knew he was scared, just by the way he was holding himself, his body stiff and cold, his words quaky and hesitant.

"Terrified." Punk whispered, never having been so scared in his entire life, he didn't want to shut his eyes, in the case of something bad happening to him, his wife or his children, this was like a hell house, he needed out, he couldn't breathe.

AJ knew Punk never got this scared about things, he was normally the one to calm her down, to tell her that everything was alright and that they would get better, but she could see how scared he was, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, she could hear it, and he wasn't even moving his body.

"Where do we go?" AJ asked him curiously.

"I don't know, April." Punk sighed, "I'm all out of money." He said as if mad with himself that he was so broke, he really splashed his cash out on this place and was struggling as it was, there was no way he could afford to buy another house, unless they sold this place, which he really doubted it. He couldn't believe he was so stupid to have bought it in the first place.

"If you really don't want to stay here, if you're really frightened, we can go stay at your mom's, she'll understand." AJ said, looking up at him.

He hated feeling scared, he didn't feel like a man, but anyone would feel a hint of fear knowing that this house had killed any walking and living human who had lived in it, man, woman or child.

"I can't stay here any longer." He looked down at her, shaking his head as she nodded, resting her head back on his chest, her hand laying across his stomach as she shut her eyes over. She didn't care if they had to rent out a two bedroom apartment, she wanted out of here just as much as he did.

Punk just wanted his family to be safe and the thought of detaching them again from their settled in home killed him, but he couldn't stay here any longer, it was making his stomach turn with fear and suspicion, call him gullible to believe that strange woman, but he wasn't risking anything.

_The next day…_

"Come on, help mommy put all your clothes in the boxes." AJ said, kneeling down in Charlie's room with both the twins, making a start on the packing, already tired at the thought but being so happy to get out of this house.

Punk had gone off to speak to Colette while she told him she would make a start on the packing.

"Why we moving again?" Charlie asked with a dramatic sigh, passing the piled up clothes to his mother while his sister lay on his bed, not helping like she never done.

"Well… we want our new house to be perfect, and… mommy and daddy don't think this one is just right, but we're going to stay with gran and keep looking for other houses, right?" She smiled to her son as he nodded.

"Sam isn't helping." Charlie moaned to his mother, not liking the fact that his twin sister wasn't being nagged at to help pack his things up.

"Sam, come help us." AJ insisted, having the twins help really did help things get done quicker and if Punk had his hopes set on leaving this house tomorrow, they needed to be quick with packing up everything.

Sam rolled her eyes and jumped down off her brother's bed, doing what she was told and helping pack up her brother's things.

_Later that night…_

"How did it go with Colette?" AJ asked Punk, standing in the kitchen after giving the twins their dinner, really happy with how well they behaved today for her and how much they helped her get done, it wasn't easy, especially with James who was at that age where he began to cry for no reason.

"Fine. She didn't really say much. I just want to get out of this place." He shivered.

"We will." AJ smiled, reaching up and brushing his messy hair from his face, "We'll get our happy ending." She nodded to him.

"When?" Punk muttered, "Roadblock after roadblock just appears in our way." He said, wondering if they ever could just settle down somewhere and be happy.

"It will happen. I promise. We just have to be patient." She smiled to him.

"I just want you to be happy." Punk smiled down to her.

"I am. I'm with you, aren't I?" She smiled to him sweetly.

"I just feel like everyone is in the sun and we're just under this one rain cloud where it always rains down on us. We've never really got a chance to get back to normal since before Joe." He said.

"We are going to look long and hard for the perfect house for us…" She said, wrapping her arms around him, "It's going to be big and beautiful, modern but classic and it's going to be perfect for the kids, you're going to drive up into the driveway coming home from work and see the twins outside kicking the leaves, you're going to see me at the window with James, rocking him back and forth in my arms, whispering to him that daddy is home… we're going to get it, Phil. Don't give up just yet." She cupped his cheek sweetly, feeling him take her hand and smile.

"I love you." He smiled down upon her, he really would be lost without her, completely and utterly lost.

_The next few months…_

Within the next few months, they had moved out of the tragic hell house, whether it was their minds playing tricks upon them or there was genuinely spirits haunting the house, AJ and Punk were both just glad to be gone, even if it was cramped in Punk's mom's house.

They had taken Sam to a child's psychiatrist in the neighbourhood, just to be sure that her phase of seeing different people that everyone else couldn't was just a phase. They were told it was normal for children Sam's age to spot figures that adults or other children may not, it put Punk and AJ at ease and they were even given some tips to help Sam with her ghost spotting, it included reading to her at night before she went to bed, getting her out to play more with her brother and also in the case of the unlikely, she had been prescribed some sleeping pills just in case it did affect her sleeping.

AJ and Punk had been balancing going to work and looking at houses on the same page which wasn't easy, especially with the uncooperative shifts they both had to work, they usually got time to go look at a few places after dinner. They didn't just want to find a place so they could settle in, they didn't want to cramp up Carol's house for too long, even though she insisted that she loved them staying with the kids.

They'd looked at a lot of houses so far but nothing had really caught their eye yet, they were making sure to look inside the houses as well as the outside. Their extra shifts at work were helping to add to the payment of what a new house was going to cost. Punk had claimed any money from Colette when she eventually sold their old house on to someone else, whoever they unfortunate souls may have been.

"How was work?" AJ asked him as they drove to their next sighting, hating to see him so tired, she also knew he hated not seeing her or the kids as much as he liked to.

"It was ok." Punk said, tilting his neck from side to side, stiff and sore from all the heavy lifting of trade and boxes. He kept his eye on the road whilst AJ just looked on ahead beside him.

"The pictures of this place look gorgeous." AJ said, holding the brochure in her hand for the next place they were going to look at. She seen that the house was just recently built last year which was a good sign, something about it just made her warm inside, the pictures gave her everything she sought and she had a lot of desire for the house already.

It was made from brick, a really rich marble type of brick that she adored. The window panes were brown which fitted in with the colour of brick, the door was brown oak wood, large and heavy with a gold handle. The front garden went on for various yards, almost like a pitch with large hedges around it, closing the garden into the house warmly. The back garden was the exact same with a medium sized shed for any gardening tools. The outside was perfect, she just couldn't wait to see the inside.

"This place is pricey." Punk clenched his teeth together in awkwardness as he glanced at the price on the brochure, his eyes going back to the road as he drove up the mild hill of the drive to the front door, immediately visioning the twins out playing in the large spacious front garden like AJ said before, he could also imagine her standing at the opened window downstairs with James. He liked this place already.

"I know, but if we put our mind to it." She smiled, watching him turn the engine off, both of them stepping out of the car and proceeding their tour of the house.

If AJ thought the outside was pretty, the inside was absolutely stunning. The furniture that came with the house was perfect, which saved them in having to buy new furniture or use their old things, the upstairs area was spacious but not too big that she felt empty, the living room which leaded into the kitchen were just as perfect. She'd fallen in love with a lot of houses in her life, but she knew this was the deepest kind of love she ever had for a house.

"I'll let you both discuss." The man smiled who had taken them round the house, letting them have a moment to themselves while he walked off.

"What do you think?" Punk asked AJ.

"I love it." She admitted, "It's pricey but what house isn't?" She shrugged to him.

"I feel like I've bought a million houses within three years." He said, "But it's what I do, isn't it?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him, "I provide." He smiled.

"That's right, daddy gotta pay the bills and feed the kids." She smiled up at him, feeling him lean down and press his lips against hers as she smiled against their passionate kiss.

Punk pulled away after a minute, "Let's take our time with moving in, decorate each room like this is the last house we're going to live in." He suggested.

"I want this to be the last house we live in, I don't want to move anymore. Our jobs are near, the kids have schools near by for when they go, your mom is close, I don't want to spend anymore money on another house. This is where we should be." She smiled up at him.

"I guess you're right." Punk nodded.

"But we should still decorate each room with care, spend a lot of time on it, make it worth the money." She smiled up at him, "Take our time with moving in, since your mom has the kids, we don't need to worry about them, we can pretend that we're just married and have our whole life ahead of us in this beautiful house." She smiled up to him.

"We still have our whole life ahead of us." He chuckled, "Let's do it." He smiled down to her, feeling her get excited as she squeezed his body tightly, reaching up for a kiss from him.

_A few weeks later…_

They had done it again, Punk was wondering how he was still standing and where he was possibly pulling the money from, but he done what he had to do for his family, he'd spend whichever money he had to on them, he'd do double shifts at work, he'd do over time, he'd do it all just to have his family safe.

Him and AJ had slowly but surely transferred their things from his mother's to the news, keeping the kids away from seeing it just yet. They took great care of each room, planning carefully what they wanted it to look like. They painted together, they lifted together, they moved together, they bickered about lamp shades, laughed about paintings and ached after lifting heavy drawers upstairs, but they done it as a couple and it really did feel like they had just got hitched and were beginning their life together, that's when Punk knew this house was right, it hit all the right buttons.

Every night Punk and AJ went around to the new house, adding a bit to whichever room they were focusing on. Everything was starting to come together and all that was to be done was the kids rooms which AJ had asked both Sam and Charlie what they wished their rooms to look like. Of course James was too young to pick, so AJ and Punk decorated his in a pale blue colour with equally as pale blue fluffy cloud wallpaper, his cot in the corner while other furniture surrounded the room. AJ loved his room and was proud of her and Punk's creativity.

Charlie's room was in the process of getting painted a darker blue, Sam had picked out a fairy type wallpaper that she liked, so AJ left Punk to crack on with the wallpaper while she footered around in Charlie's room, putting all his furniture in place and unpacking the boxes which read 'Charlie.'

She couldn't believe how relaxed and chilled she was moving into the house like this, she was normally used to unpacking quickly, trying to do one million things at once but taking her time with Punk had really helped, they'd spent so much time trying to make their home look perfect, forgetting about their tragic first attempt.

"April!" Punk shouted from next door, standing on a ladder as he finished pasting the wallpaper that Sam had requested on her room walls.

"Yeah?" AJ said, walking out of Charlie's room and into Sam's.

"How does this look?" Punk asked his wife, looking down at her, "Is it straight?" He asked, watching her look and walk back a little to judge.

"Looks perfect. She's going to be so happy we managed to find it." AJ smiled, knowing the wallpaper was out of stock in a lot of stores.

"Two more rooms and we can officially move in." Punk smiled down to her, really glad they had taken their time with decorating their new home, having enjoyed the time shared with just AJ, even if they were busy painting, he just loved seeing her so happy.

"Do you think the kids will like it?" AJ asked, watching him step down the ladders and walk over to her to look at his handy work.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and looked around the room which just had to have furniture added and Sam's clothes and belongings to be unpacked, their house was officially ready to live in now after they finished up with the twins rooms.

"They'll love it." Punk smiled, kissing down on her head, having enjoyed these past few weeks decorating with AJ, just watching the smile on her face while she picked out the TV she wanted for the living room and what kitchen utensils she wanted, it was his pride and joy to see her so happy like this, it was what he lived for.

Now they really could move on from everything, their house was modern, in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours yet surrounded by the Chicago town outside, just them on the inside, away from the world.

"You ready to take them tomorrow?" Punk asked her, looking down at her, figuring they could get the twins rooms finished completely tonight and move in tomorrow.

"Yeah." AJ smiled with a nod, more than ready. All she ever really wanted was her husband, her kids, a nice house, a good job, that was all she ever wanted, all she ever needed, finally after everything she was on her way to getting what she had wished for from day one.

**Sorry for the boring chapter, the story is coming to a close and I think once I finish up with it, I might take a shortish break from writing, as I said, my laptop is wiped, I have nothing on it and need to get it back up to date, but I'll try finish this story for you guys the best I can, then I'm afraid it will need to be a short break from me. But I will be back, don't worry.**

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	57. Chapter 57

"Are we going to see the new house now?" Sam asked the next day, sitting on her grans couch after waiting patiently with her brothers for her parents to come home from work.

"Yeah, we're going right now." Punk smiled down to her as she swung her legs sitting on the couch, Charlie sitting beside her nearly falling asleep.

"Is it big?" Sam smiled up to her father, holding her shoulders into her as she got excited for her new house.

"Yeah, it's got a huge garden for you guys to play in and your rooms are exactly the way you wanted them." He said, walking over and grabbing the twins coats and shoes, helping them get their things on while AJ was upstairs feeding James and collecting his things.

"Are we moving after this again?" Charlie asked tiredly, not really in the mood for any more moving.

"No." Punk chuckled at his unenthusiastic smile, "This is where you guys are going to grow up, no more moving." Punk smiled, wrapping Sam's scarf around her neck, tucking it into her jacket as he zipped it up, handing them both their gloves for them to put on. It couldn't have been any colder outside and if AJ seen them both out without hats, scarfs and gloves, she'd have a heart attack.

"Do you have everything, Phil?" Carol asked as she entered from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I think so." Punk nodded, standing up straight from helping the twins, facing his mother.

"Well I really enjoyed your company these past few weeks, I'm always here to help you with the kids." Carol smiled to him, she loved spending time with her grandchildren, they were such breaths of fresh air to have around and such well behaved good natured children.

"I know you are, mom." Punk smiled quietly, "Thank you for letting us stay." He said, wrapping his large arms around her smaller frame, the respect he had for his mother was unexplainable.

"Phil, are you ready to go?" AJ asked as she peeped into the living room with James happily fed and changed in her arms, soft little satisfied moans coming from him as she watched Punk unwrap his arms from his mother.

"Yeah. You got everything?" Punk asked her, turning to her with a smile.

"Yeah." She nodded, "Do you want to take him and I'll get the twins in the car?" She asked.

"It's ok. You go on with him, I'll be there in a minute." Punk said as she nodded and walked away out of the house with James.

Punk said a final goodbye to his mother, as well as the kids and he was eventually in the car with his family, driving to their new home as the daylight ticked on into darkness.

He drove up the driveway to the house, turning to AJ and getting a glimpse of her smile. The twins were stretching themselves up out of their car seats to look out the window at the new house.

Punk stopped the car engine, parking the car slant in the large driveway, getting out and helping the twins while AJ got James.

"Do you guys like it?" Punk asked the twins as they jumped out the car after each other, both of them looking up at the house.

"Yeah." Sam jumped up and down, taking a good look at the house, turning around and smiling in awe at the garden, her brother standing beside her looking on to. Charlie wasn't very enthusiastic, so anything he got excited about really was something to be excited about.

"Do you guys want to see inside?" AJ smiled, looking across to the twins as they piped up with smiles, running towards the door, running up the steps as they waited for their mother and father.

Punk took James from AJ, kissing his head as he held him against his chest, watching AJ unlock the door and walk on into the house, just as perfect as they left it.

"It's so big." Charlie smiled sweetly as he didn't know where to look, it was just so warm, he liked it much more than the previous one.

"Can we see our rooms, please… please…" Sam begged.

"Yeah, alright alright…" AJ nodded at her impatient self, "On you go upstairs." She said, watching them scutter on ahead, walking up behind them while Punk tagged behind her with James in his arms.

Punk and AJ watched throughout the night as Sam and Charlie ran in and out of their rooms, claiming to love them both so much, so grateful, bless their hearts.

It was incredibly hard to calm them down but they eventually did and after James was put into his room to sleep, AJ and Punk focused on the twins, reading them both a story in Charlie's room, figuring they would lift Sam into her own room when she fell asleep which by her tired eyes, would be pretty soon.

AJ lay on the bed with the twins leaning into each other beside her, the lamp beside her dim, just enough light for Punk to see the words in the story book. He sat in front of them, saying each word slowly and carefully, his tone of voice, smooth and soft, enough to roll them over to sleep, almost sending AJ fast asleep as well.

She watched him as he mouthed every word, treasuring these moments as a father, these small moments that most fathers took for granted. He'd seen things, he'd been places, he knew what the world was like. She knew that the only place he felt like him, the only place that he felt happy was with his family.

Punk lifted his eyes from the book for just a minute, not only spotting the twins fast asleep but noticing AJ leaning beside them, her eyes closed as his soft story telling had put her to sleep. He laughed a little.

He lifted Sam up first under her arms, her head falling down to his shoulder as he walked out of the room and into her new adored one, walking over to her bed, pulling back the starry patterned covers, placing her into bed, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking the bobbles out from her pig tails, unwinding the tied hair as it turned to curls spread out on the pillow.

He sat the bobbles on the bedside cabinet and turned the lamp on, knowing that the twins still slept with a night light on during the night. He sat off the bed and pulled the covers over her body, laying a soft kiss on her head and turning around, walking out of the room and shutting the door over, heading back into Charlie's room where AJ was still fast asleep with Charlie tucked into her.

He picked her up gently, her weight nothing against his muscles as he walked out of the room with her, laying her on their bed for just now, turning back to go tuck Charlie into bed, scooting him down so his head was on the pillow, tidying the covers over him and kissing his head, watching him turn over on his side. He walked out of his room, closing the door over and walking back into his own bedroom, shutting the door over behind him and smiling at AJ still lying still on their bed.

He walked over to her drawers and grabbed a pair of her pyjamas, not caring which ones it was, walking over to her and lifting her up to sit up, caressing her back with his hands as he kept her balanced sitting up while she stayed asleep. He stripped her t-shirt off her, taking the pyjamas t-shirt and pulling it over her head.

"Don't expect me to do this when we're sixty and old." He muttered as he stood her up, feeling her lean over his shoulder, laying her head against it as he unzipped her jeans and shimmied them down her toned legs, pulling them right off as he lifted up each foot, making sure she was leaning against him so she didn't keel over.

He put one leg into the bottoms and then the other, pulling them up her body as he stood up straight again with her leaning into his chest now from the absence of his shoulder.

"Gotta take care of my baby." He whispered, kissing her head as he lifted her up again, this time pulling the covers back from the bed and laying her inside the covers, lifting her glasses from her nose and sitting them on her bedside cabinet, brushing her hair from her face and smiling. She was an angel, a pure, full on angel sent from above and landed in his arms.

He walked around to his side of the bed, stripping on the way, down to his black boxer shorts, pulling back the covers from his side and lying in beside her, pulling her body into his as she slept deeply in his arms, everything he done in life, he done it to see they exact smiles he seen on his wife and children's face today. This was the better place. This was the best place.

**10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.**


	58. Chapter 58

**Everyone enjoy the last chapter, an unexpected twist ahead that you will all hate me for! Enjoy.**

_The next morning…_

"How did I get into my pyjamas?" AJ croaked, lifting her head from the pillow as she screwed her eyes up at the sun shining through the window. She looked beside her, the covers thrown back, an empty space in the bed beside her.

She stood up and made the bed the best she could, not paying to much attention to it, grabbing her sweater from the bottom of the bed and zipping it up, taking her glasses from the nightstand and opening them up, sitting them on her nose and leaving the room. She tiptoed past the kids rooms, walking downstairs and into the living room, trailing through into the kitchen and taking a seat down at the kitchen table.

It was a hard smack of reality. Every morning after the agonizing flashbacks…

_Flashback…_

"_Take her." Punk coughed, the large basement holding a drugged out April, a damaged Dean and Seth and an even more damaged Punk._

"_You're coming with us." Dean said, looking on at Punk as he held AJ in his agonizing arms, holding her out to them._

"_Please." Punk begged, "Take her, get out of here." Punk said, looking over at Joe stirring on the ground of the basement._

"_Just leave him!" Seth shouted at Punk, "He's dying, just leave him here." Seth said, not leaving without his best friend._

"_Please just take her." Punk begged forcefully, not giving Dean and Seth a choice as he lay AJ down into Dean's arms, "I'll get you outside. Both of you. Just keep her safe." Punk said, kissing AJ's head and turning back away from his friends._

_Dean and Seth just looked at each other but shamefully turned their backs and done what they were told, walking up the steps of the basement and leaving their friend to his request._

_Punk wanted to make Joe pay, he wanted every little bad bone in his body to snap and crack slowly and painfully, it was exactly what he deserved._

_He walked towards Joe, disgust on his face as he reached down to pull him up to his feet, a loud bang echoing the room when he did, his gut automatically feeling low and lifeless, his hands falling from Joe as he stumbled back from him, looking at the gun in his hand and the smirk on his face._

"_If I'm going down… I'm taking you with me." Joe croaked, holding his shot shoulder._

_Up above the basement Dean and Seth paused in their tracks as they looked at each other, the shotgun banging loudly in their ears, their instincts immediately telling them to quickly check on Punk._

"_Take her." Dean said, practically throwing AJ's frail body to Seth and running back to the basement, launching himself down the stairs and stumbling forward, looking across at Punk who was standing up, barely, holding the front of his stomach as blood coldly spilled from his mouth, Joe lay on the ground, resting easy as he bled out to dry._

"_Punk…" Dean ran over to Punk, catching his body as it fell to the ground, easing it down to the ground._

"_Where is April?" Punk spoke through his hoarse and dry throat, the taste of blood in his mouth that was throwing up from his wound which was bleeding heavily, covering his full hand in red crimson liquid._

"_She's safe, she's with Seth. We need to… We need to get you to a hospital, here…" Dean took his t-shirt off and scrunched it up, putting pressure on Punks wound as he winced in pain, "Hold this on your wound. I'm going to get you out of here." Dean said, lifting Punk up, needing much more muscles than what he needed to carry AJ, but he done it, because he would lift anything for his friend, no matter how heavy or hard._

_A part of Dean was in shock, shock that his best friend was dying with a very serious shot wound in the core of his stomach. He walked up the steps of the basement, quickly taking his steps as he walked out of the house, keeping his eye on Punk as he seen his friend start to close his eyes on and off, his hand not putting enough pressure on the wound from lack of strength._

"_C'mon Phil…" Dean whispered, a lump in his throat as he struggled to keep his cool, reaching Seth who had already put April in the car._

_Dean couldn't hold up any longer, he lay Punk down on the ground, kneeling down beside him as Seth looked down at his friend._

"_W-What…" He paused as he spotted the wound in Punks centre, the blood spilling out of his mouth, "Punk… c'mon we need to get you to a hospital." Seth said, reaching down and pulling Punks body recklessly up._

_Punk used the rest of his strength to push Seth away, "No… just… leave me, make sure AJ is alright." Punk said, resting his head back down on the solid ground, his gut hurting like he'd never hurt before, one by one he could feel different parts of his body closing down, he couldn't feel his legs, his arms had collapsed at either side of him, his blood was spilling and spilling from his wound._

"_Phil…" Seth shook his head as tears rolled down his eyes, his hands going behind his head as he looked down at Punk painfully._

"_Punk…" A small voice came from behind them. She was far from on planet earth, she was confused and still terrified, not understanding how she was even out of the house, away from Joe, but she couldn't think of that, she could only see her husband lying on the cold ground, blood pouring from him as he rolled his eyes up at her, a small smile fading on his mouth._

"_You're safe now." Punk whispered over to her._

"_What… what happened to you?" AJ sank down to her knees, not being able to take any of this in, she couldn't understand or remember Punk coming to rescue her, but he looked like he had got hurt in the process._

"_I came for you." Punk said, "But you have to go with Seth and Dean now." Punk said, reaching his lifeless hand up to stroke her cheek, wincing at the pain of moving his numb arms._

"_You're bleeding… you're hurt." AJ cried as she removed the t-shirt he was pressuring on his wound, looking at the deep shot wound right on his straight edge tattoo._

"_I know." Punk nodded, "You have to trust me. You'll be fine. Go with Dean and Seth." He said, insisting she got out of here._

"_I'm not leaving you…" AJ shivered, taking his hand violently and refusing to let it go, "We need to get him to a hospital." AJ looked up at Dean and Seth who stood lifeless and upset, both of them hiding their cries._

"_He won't make it." Seth whispered._

"_Yes, he will." AJ said, "C'mon Phil…" AJ said, trying to lift him up on her own but knowing that she wouldn't succeed, dropping his body as she cried._

"_I'll be fine here." Punk smiled to her, "Go home to the twins, tell them daddy loves them." Punk fainted his smile, losing consciousness as time crept up on them._

_AJ could barely come to terms that Punk had actually came and saved her, but kneeling down beside him as he bled to his death, watching the pain in his face, feeling the pain in his heart, she wouldn't believe it._

"_I need you. Please, Phil." AJ cried, "Don't do this. Don't leave me." She moaned._

"_I'm afraid it's a bit late for that." Punk smiled to her, "You'll be alright." His eyes began to close for long periods of time now._

"_No, I won't. Please, let us take you to hospital." She cried, knowing that even if they did go to hospital, it would have been too late._

_Punk was scared, he was terrified, the pain, the realisation of his life about to end for good, realising he would never see his wife or children again, his best friends, but in a way… he could rest easy, he'd done what he came to do, save AJ and protect her._

"_That car crash was the best thing that ever happened to me." Punk smiled to her._

_Dean looked across to Seth as tears rolled down his face, dropping on the ground as AJ's shoulders moved up and down, her silent tears dropping on the ground along with Seth and Dean's._

"_Phil…" AJ shook her head, looking on at Punk, watching his eyes close over, not opening up again like they had been doing, his chest standing at a halt as his hand fell from hers onto the ground._

"_No!" AJ screamed, pulling him into her arms, his head resting on her lap as she rocked back and forth, tears pouring out as she took deep breaths._

_Dean sat down on the ground and put his hands in his heads, his tears rolling down his face as he looked over at AJ crying into Punks dead body, Seth stood above leaning against the car which was meant to take all four of them to safety, his crying loud and soft, his shoulders shaking recklessly as his face became a wet mess_

_AJ screamed continuously over and over again, holding Punk in her arms, refusing to believe that this was happening, all she knew was pain for the past week, pain caused by Joe and now this, this of all things. The tables were turned, she was the one that was now holding her dead husband in her arms, only this time, he wasn't faking it like she was, his heart really had stopped beating, his breaths were no more, his pulse was paused, he was gone, cold and gone. She refused to let this be reality._

_End of Flashback…_

It took her so many months to realise she was a widow, a lonely, cold widow that had lost her husband to evil. She'd have a dream about him every night, regardless of how small and meaningless it was, she seen him around the many houses she had moved into, she'd been to see psychiatrists, to know if there was any cure, but there never was a cure for heartbreak. Everything happened so fast, one minute she was safe, next she was watching her whole life disappear.

She sat at the kitchen table just staring into space like she had done for the past year. She seen him everywhere, she seen him right now, sitting across from him, so life like, so reachable, but he never was there, not really. The doctors told her it was normal, to visualize him around, especially with how close they were, she asked if it would ever go away, if he would ever leave her memory, but she was told it was highly unlikely.

When she got back from Chicago, she wasn't ready to face anything but facing another pregnancy was the last thing she needed, especially throughout the wait to find out if James was Punks.

_Flashback…_

_It had been a painful nine months, a heart aching nine months but here she was, laying in a hospital bed in Chicago after delivering her third child, she'd had so many dreams about miscarrying her son, so many dreams of Punk being here, telling her to get rid of him, that it may not be his son, but she kept him, it was a part of her and the only good thing that had came out of the unfortunate events that had taken place._

"_Mrs Brooks, you are awake." A doctor came in with some tests, of course the paternity test. She'd been awake all morning thinking about it, having anxiety about it, praying she would hear Punks name._

"_What do the tests say?" AJ asked, holding her son, James, in her arms._

"_Well with 99.9% accuracy, the baby's father is Phillip Jack Brooks." The doctor said as AJ smiled with so much relief, looking down at James and treasuring the fact that he was of Punk's son, the son he never would know about, the son that would never get the luxury of his father's hugs and kisses, but the son that was made out of nothing but love. She seen this as a part of Phil being left behind in everything that had happened, this was the only good to ever come out of losing her husband, gaining another son with him._

_She'd moved back to Chicago where Punk was buried to have James and was living in a house not far from Punks mom's, but she just couldn't live in it anymore, she had to move, everywhere she went, she seen Punk, when she slept he was there, when she woke up he was there, she just couldn't get him out her mind._

_End of Flashback…_

And she did move, she moved to their new house. James was five months old, the twins were three and she felt like she was 80, she felt like it had been at least 20 years without Punk, but it had only been one.

Dean and Seth had offered multiple times to come out to Chicago and live, to help with AJ and the kids, but what happened to Punk wasn't their fault, for them to grow as the men they needed to be, they had to continue being the father and husbands they were, as hard as it may have been without Punk.

She had dreams, so many dreams of him, like last night, she dreamt he was reading her and the kids a story, she could feel him undress her and put her into bed, she dreamt she lay her head on his chest, the dreams felt so real and when she woke up, she lost a piece of herself with the dream.

The only thing that kept her going was her children who depending on her and only her now, if it wasn't for them, she would have ended herself a long time ago, just to be with Punk. She had dreams of what might have happened if he did survive, what they would have went through, but no matter how much of her life she dreamed away, the reality was, Punk was gone and very much never coming back.

She received every drop of penny and every belonging Punk owned which to her surprise, Punk had saved a lot, but no money in the world could pay the price of her husband.

She'd lost herself throughout everything, the only thing she was here for now was her children, they lost out on having a father, they needed her to stay strong, to keep them safe now and she would, for Punk, she knew all Punk would want was for his children to be safe and happy and that's what her aim was.

She visited him once a day while Punk's mom who was just destroyed by the news of her sons death, watched Sam, Charlie and James.

She walked down the cemetery, her hands in her coat pockets, walking to the headstone which she seen everywhere she went, standing at the bottom of the grave and looking at it.

"James smiled today, he looks so much like you." She smiled, looking down at her feet, smiling at the little angels that Sam and Charlie had drew recently, managing to pin them to the headstone.

"I dreamt you put me to bed last night. I could really feel you this time, and you read Sam and Charlie a story before bed, they fell straight to sleep. Maybe I'm going crazy." She chuckled to herself quietly, "I just wish I could see you one last time… you were… you were taken from me too quickly." She sighed. He was just ripped so viciously from her, in his attempts to make Joe pay for hurting her, he lost his life, for her, she felt mostly responsible.

"I'll keep your babies safe, you know that." She smiled, kicking the grit with her trainers, "I love you." She nodded.

She was over crying, she'd cried all the tears out, she'd gotten used to it, if that was even possible, she could never adjust to losing him but these dreams of what their life could have been, should have been, the images so fresh in her mind of him, it was helping her, as well as her darling children who were just so like him, looks and nature.

She turned on heel, leaving the cemetery. She never spent too much time talking to him, she could have just stayed standing all day speaking to the fresh air around her and expecting him to reply, but she had a life to live, whether he was watching on her or not.

_Later that night…_

"And Charlie pushed me down the chute…" Sam smiled, sitting up at the kitchen table with her brother as they waited for their dinner, telling their mom all about their day with their gran while she visited their father.

"Did you guys have fun then?" AJ asked them, James sleeping in her arm while she stirred a pot on the hob with the other hand, listening to her twins babble away about their day.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. The twins had got over the absence of their father pretty quickly, they cried out for him every now and then but they were losing their memory of him which killed her, she promised herself she would never let them forget their father.

After their dinner and AJ got to sit down on the couch, James sleeping upstairs while the twins sat beside her, she visioned him again, sitting beside her right now, his arm heavily around her shoulder. She didn't know if she was hallucinating or if he really was here, with her, forever, but it got her through.

She'd eventually put the kids to bed, another day being done and dusted, another day made with him not here. She walked into the bedroom that she slept alone in, pausing as she hugged her arms, feeling a soft hand on her shoulder. She quickly looked side on at the mirror, nothing in sight behind her yet his heavy hand lay on her shoulder.

She knew it was all in her mind, there was no such thing as ghosts but if her mind wanted to act like this, she would allow it.

She turned around, looking at his face like she had been doing for the past year, pretending he was with her every minute of every day, smiling up at him as he stared blankly down at her.

"Why did you have to go?" She whispered, reaching her hand up and feeling his soft cheek against the palm of her hand, blinking and finding herself cupping the air in the room, nothing but space in front of her.

He was with her for sure. Guiding her through each day with a helping hand, watching over her and the kids, he just wasn't here the way she wanted him to be.

She turned back around and walked to her side of the bed, sitting down and lying down on her back, closing her eyes and wondering where Punk would take her tonight, somewhere magical hopefully.

**The end.**

**Thank you guys so so much for the support during this story, not the ending I suppose you guys were hoping for, but he's still there, I believe anyway. Thanks for all the REVIEWS on this story, so overwhelmed and grateful. Thanks.**


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